Sleepless

What it's about:

Undercover Las Vegas police officer Downs is caught in a high stakes web of corrupt cops and the mob-controlled casino underground. When a heist goes wrong, a crew of homicidal gangsters kidnaps Downs’ teenage son. In one sleepless night, he will have to rescue his son, evade an Internal Affairs investigation, and bring the kidnappers to justice.

What we thought:                

This action-thriller lacks momentum and is not the least bit believable.

The movie opens in the middle of car chase between our action-hero Las Vegas police detective Vincent Downs (Jamie Foxx) and his partner Sean Cass (T.I.) stealing a huge shipment of cocaine from crime boss, Rob Novak (Scoot McNairy).   

We soon find out that Rob Novac supplies casino owner Stanley Rubino (Dermot Mulroney) with drugs. 

Now Vincent is in deep trouble! The baddies then kidnap Vincent's son Thomas (Octavius J. Johnson) and holds him hostage at the hotel, to use as leverage to get their stolen merchandise back. 

But uh-oh, the exchange goes horribly sideways when the drugs suddenly go missing.  (Insert very sarcastic gasp here)  

What unfolds is Vincent sneaking around the casino in different disguises while trying to avoid security cameras, the big bad thugs and the police - who have become increasingly suspicious of Vincent's possible drug involvement.   

While trying to save his son from impending doom, Vincent and the bad guys beat the ever-living crap out of each other in what are very obviously "staged" fight scenes in the service corridors, kitchens and spas. 

These action scenes are executed in a very mechanical way using fast cuts and swiveling camera work.      

The movie is not always very plausible and during certain times borders on ludicrous. 

At one point in Sleepless, Vincent poses as a hotel employee, dressed in blue overalls and a cap covering his face. Elevator doors open. Vincent tilts his head down, in an effort not to be made. But just as the door closes, he purposefully glances up and he’s spotted.  

Sure, it makes a cool shot. But it makes no sense.  

Another unrealistic scene is while during the dispersal of tear gas, characters continue to engage in a battle to the death without gas masks. 

Yet nobody seems to affected in any way by the chemicals.  

Once again it looks super-cool with the characters fighting in a cloud of smoke, but it is highly implausible.  

As the movie unfolds we soon realise that the main characters' motives and goals might not be as what it first appeared.

These plot twists are well-executed and gives the movie a bit of a push, during what would otherwise be just another mindless action-movie.