Has Russell Crowe entered into a Nic Cage phase of his career, making whatever script his agent sends him? Recent work like “Unhinged,” “The Pope’s Exorcist,” and “Poker Face” (which Crowe also writes and directs) certainly makes it look that way. “Sleeping Dogs” looks like it continues that trend, with Crowe playing a downbeat ex-cop in a mid-budget cop thriller. So will this be a potboiler to remember or a sign of Crowe being on a downhill slide?
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In “Sleeping Dogs,” Crowe stars as an ex-homicide detective with memory loss forced to solve a brutal murder he can’t recall. But as evidence uncovers secrets tied to his forgotten past, he may uncover a hidden truth. Honestly, this sounds like just another “Memento” riff, but maybe that’s too harsh.
Read on for an official synopsis for “Sleeping Dogs,” courtesy of The Avenue:
In this gripping crime thriller, Russell Crowe stars as Roy Freeman, an ex-homicide detective with a fractured memory, forced to revisit a case he can’t remember. As a man’s life hangs in the balance on death row, Freeman must piece together the brutal evidence from a decade-old murder investigation, uncovering a sinister web of buried secrets and betrayals linking to his past. With only instincts to trust, he faces a chilling truth – sometimes, it’s best to let sleeping dogs lie.
Along with Crowe, “Sleeping Dogs” also stars Karen Gillan, Márton Csókás, Thomas M. Wright, Harry Greenwood, and Tommy Flanagan. Adam Cooper directs the film and co-writes its script with Bill Collage, adapting E.O. Chirovici‘s novel “The Book Of Mirrors.”
So what will “Sleeping Dogs” be: a satisfactory B-movie or a derivative mess? Find out when the film hits theaters on March 22. Watch a trailer for “Sleeping Dogs” below.
