Non ho sonno

I'm still sort of new to Argento's films but I found this film of his to be one very solid effort. The first half has this very unusual tone and atmosphere that makes you feel both uncomfortable and creeped out at the same time. The death scenes in my opinion are more tense here than in some of his older films.

The acting is very good although the occasional dubbed voice causes some actors to look like their facial expressions almost don't match their voices.

One outstanding feature is the cinematography. The camera constantly moves around and many of the settings are lit up just right enough to create it's atmosphere.

Overall, it's a very well made and solid gaillo from Argento and is well worth the effort even for fans of the genre and not necessarily Argento.

Having reviewed the brilliant Giallo "Profondo Rosso" last week I just checked out Dario Argento´s latest film "Non ho sonno". In comparison to the above mentioned classic, "Sleepless" is much straighter and more fast-paced. There are more bloody murders (A prostitutes fingers were cut off, a man gets stabbed by a fountain pen...), however the photography seemed to be not as elegant as it was in "Profondo Rosso". I´m really no Argento-expert but I think this was a good thriller with a well-developed story and lots of suspense. Even a few humorous scenes were brought on like the take when some Lilliputians have to wait for their interrogation at the police department. Main actor Max von Sydow ("Dune", "The Exorcist") is great in the lead, but also most of the supporting actors like Stefano Dionisi or Chiara Caselli are doing solid jobs! I´d give this film 8 out of 10, just for being really good Giallo-entertainment!!

The 1990's wasn't a good decade for Italy's premier horror director. His trip to the USA resulted in a decidedly average film with 'Trauma', then he made 'The Stendhal Syndrome', which was also a disappointment, and, of course, his universally lambasted remake of The Phantom of the Opera. However, he has proved with this movie that he most certainly is not down and out; as Sleepless is by far his best film in fourteen years, and one the best films that Argento has ever made. Sleepless stars Max Von Sydow as former police detective Moretti, the detective on the case of the notorious 'Dwarf' murders, 17 years earlier. After the murder of his mother, Von Sydow promised a young boy that he would catch her killer. That boy is now an adult, and the murders have started again; leaving only Von Sydow and the young man to solve the case. The murders aren't done without clues however, as left at the scene of each one is a cut-out of an animal, all of which link to a mysterious nursery rhyme.

This film is giallo at it's best. Dario Argento creates one of the best atmospheres in any of his movies for this film. Some of the set pieces are absolutely fantastic, and the film breathes an air of malice for it's duration. Sleepless is full of surprises, and through this, Argento is able to make us believe the literally anything can happen; and it often does. This is an excellent thing for a thriller to do; nobody wants to know what's going to happen next, and Sleepless is most certainly a film that has the ability to keep you on the edge of your seat, begging for more of the plot to be revealed. As ever, Argento manages to submerge the viewer into the film, and this is one of the movie's most pleasing aspects. Another thing about this movie that will please fans of Italian horror is the absolutely sublime score by the brilliant 'Goblin'. Argento and his house band have had some memorable collaborations, and this one most certainly stands tall as one of them. I would even call it the best once since Suspiria; it is that good.

Dario Argento has also become famous for the great way that he uses the camera, and this film is a fine example of that also. Dario Argento directs our attention through numerous things, and his camera work throughout the movie is as inventive as ever. Through his direction, the film manages to build up massive levels of tension. The great sequence on the train towards the start of the movie is an excellent example of this. Argento is admirable not only for his directing, but for the fact that he writes his own movies also. The script of the movie is decent enough, but the real genius in the writing department for this movie is the nursery rhyme that is the backbone of the film. The rhyme was written by Argento's beautiful daughter, Asia. It's deliciously bleak and twisted (especially considering it's supposed to be a children's rhyme!), and it creates a great mood for the film. The part in which Von Sydow reads out the final verse over the closing credits is incredible; Von Sydow's voice and the rhyme itself combine to lend the movie a dark horror vibe like no other. Argento fans will also be thankful for the fact that this film contains more than it's fair share of bloodshed. Some of the scenes even made me - a man that loves blood and gore - cringe. A head is bashed against a wall; teeth first, a young lady is viciously decapitated, fingers are lopped off, heads explode and, my personal favourite, a scene that sees someone brutally beaten with an English horn. It has to be seen to be believed, it really does.

Like many Italian horror films, Sleepless isn't the best film ever made in terms of acting, and at times the plot isn't always well paced. The dubbing is also as terrible as ever; but who cares? You don't go into a giallo expecting to see great acting and plotting, and therefore it can very easily be forgiven. Especially when the film has a great Goblin soundtrack, a solid plot and gratuitous scenes of gore. Any Argento fan will be happy movie with this movie, I can almost guarantee it; and providing that he doesn't fall down with 2004's The Card Player, Argento could be back to his uncompromising and atmospheric best.

"Sleepless" ("Non ho sonno") is an Italian giallo film directed by Dario Argento, whose '90s films weren't that representative. This one, was released in 2001 and many believed that the beloved director returned with a more fair film. I also identify this opinion. The reasons will be mentioned.

Let's start by the plot. The film is about a retired detective and a young man who had a close relationship with one of the victims of a murderer who hit Italy, after 17 years of absence. The two of them are trying to solve the case and to unravel the mystery veil in general.

As for the plot, it sounds very simple, classic and safe for this particular subgenre (giallo). I partly agree, but I think if you go into the process of watching this film, it'll be quite interesting. It's not flawless in any way, but it's dignified and the beloved subgenre was shortly revived.

PROS:

* Charming protagonist. Nice choice.

* Decent direction by the master Dario Argento.

* While the photography doesn't resemble heavily a giallo film, just because we are used to it quite stylistically, aesthetically, with vivid and vibrant colors. This film, is more "realistic" in these parts, making it more accessible. Personally, I prefer the classic stylistic version of giallo films, without saying that I didn't enjoyed the film the way it was. So it's not a flaw, I just expressed my personal preference.

* I think that the selection of the cast was quiet good (I'll explain the in the "CONS" sectiom why I use the word "think").

* Catchy, simple and straightforward classic giallo plot.

* I would say that the violence in this film is quite high. The presence of blood is frequent and clear. The kills are brutal, not as creative as we are used to in other Argento films, but decent. But they definitely correspond to giallo films. All the stalking scenes shortly before the murder were creepy and scary. There were no annoying jumpscares.

CONS:

* One of the things I write about, in all my reviews on giallo films is the dubbing. I can't figure out why you get some foreign actors and turn the whole movie into English and then dub it with (lots of) miserable voices that disorient you. Hire some Italian actors and turn your movie into Italian. Don't make it harder. I would definitely prefer it. The Italian language is wonderful and I am sure this country has many great actors. As far as I know, most of Argento's films, all of which are now considered classic and superb, at the time of their release, they were quite controversial, because of the violence they represented and were not screened for long. So, if he had hired foreign actors to make his films more successful and saw that it has never worked, why did he keep doing this? It would be more honorable, if he would made his films in his mother tongue.

* I personally suspected who the killer was pretty soon, without being 100% sure, so I think they could have hidden it better.

* The character of 'Gloria' was so unnecessary. They probably added her just to be exisiting a romantic interest for the protagonist. Something extra. There's no other reason. At least let her do something. She was not even a suspect.

Neutrals:

* The film is not so authentic, as I personally found some parts, that resemble the film "Profondo Rosso" (1975), if you watch it, you will find it yourself.

* An inspector has the surname "Manny". Not coincidentally, as in an earlier Argento film, "Tenebre" (1982), the first victim is named 'Elsa Manny'.

Generally, the film is very enjoyable to watch. I don't think fans of this subgenre will be disappointed, especially Dario Argento's fans, since it was a very dynamic return.

I recommend it!

Sleepless might be Dario Argento's last truly good movie. It's far from perfect and never quite reaches the stylistic heights of his 70's and 80's work, but it's a somewhat smart re-imagining of the giallo film with enough gory set pieces to keep the gorehounds satisfied and just enough twists and turns to keep the mystery fans on their toes.

Max Von Sydow plays an aging detective brought back into a murder case 20 years later when it appears that the murderer has returned to continue their killing spree. He's joined by the son of one of the victims and, together, they team up to figure out who's behind all this mayhem.

Sleepless has its high points - the opening train sequence might be one of Argento's best and all the murder set pieces are inventive and filled with shockingly good effects that are sure to make you cringe. Also, Goblin has reunited to give us one of their most effective scores that helps the film tremendously.

There are pacing issues in the middle section of the film and the two young leads aren't as well written or interesting as one would like which makes many of their scenes drag and feel like work to get through. It's no slight to the actors, because I don't think it's their fault at all. The murder mystery is at least interesting and the killer's reveal is at least a genuine surprise.

Sleepless won't be classified by anyone as top tier Argento, but it's one of his best post-80's works.