Candy Federl

I loved this movie. Sure, it doesn’t have the stature of the Gladiator, but it was a deep, suspenseful and beautifully acted movie with new creative twists. Here was a beaten down man, formerly a highly decorated cop, who was destroyed by alcoholism, nearly killed driving drunk and finally kicked off the force. Once his memories are wiped away with Alzheimer’s, he undergoes experimental brain surgery to regrow destroyed neuron pathways (oh, I only wish that part was real). It’s amazing to watch Russel Crowe acting as he slowly regains memories while struggling to revisit a case that put a man on death row ten years prior. Crowe peels back the layers slowly and subtly as he pulls his life story back together in his mind. I can usually predict the ending of a mystery ten minutes into the movie, but at the end of Sleeping Dogs my jaw dropped! Russel Crowe was so believable in his pain and his journey it was incredible to watch. I don’t care how many years go by … Russel Crowe is still achingly attractive and a joy to watch perform his craft.