![[box cover]](../../reviewimgs/l/lightsleeper.jpg)
Light Sleeper
John LaTour (Willem Dafoe) is a sensitive dealer. Employed by a high-class narcotics boutique to distribute "white drugs to white people," he looks out for his customers. He only deals them what they can handle, offers legal help to those in trouble with the law, and even intervenes when he feels they need to kick the habit. A recovering addict himself, LaTour dreams of leaving the business, but is addicted to the easy, tax-free nature of his work, and, besides, it's all he really understands. Dafoe plays LaTour with a weary, brooding despair. He is in fear of falling asleep for the bad turn his life may take if he's not awake to avoid it. Written and directed by Paul Schrader, Light Sleeper bears more than a passing resemblance to the Schrader-written Martin Scorsese film Taxi Driver. Instead of driving around New York at night, LaTour rides, but he still must face his demons amongst the squalor of the city, reconcile his reclusion from society, and purge the emptiness within. This time around, however, Schrader tells this personal story with a more mature and cautioned — if less powerful and energetic — point-of-view. Also starring Susan Sarandon, and featuring a remarkable performance by Dana Delaney as a woman from LaTour's past. This Artisan release looks worse than it really is. Schrader gave the move a soft, fuzzy look, and shot it in 1.37:1 full frame. It's presented here in 1.33 with 2.0 Dolby audio. No extras.
—Gregory P. Dorr
