Sleepless (2001) User Reviews

better than expected

[lost-in-limbo · 6/10 · 22 February 2005]

A retired detective gets involved on a case which he was in charge of 17 years ago, about a grisly killer known as 'the dwarf' that killed people in a small part of town and now it's happening again, though this time his working with a son of one of the original victims. 'The dwarf ' was found dead after those murders 17 years ago… so could it be him from beyond the grave or a copycat?

This a pretty decent murder/mystery film by Dario Argento, I wasn't expecting much- but what I saw it was above average. With his usual flair of over the top blood and gore, stunning photography, the soundtrack by 'Goblin' really gives it an added boost and the usual unexpected twists and turns, make this film worth a look after his earlier disappointments.

It has a superb opening half-an hour of terror that is truly haunting and eerie. Though It does sag a bit in the middle of the film, losing a bit of the steam and the menacing atmosphere fizzles out- though that's when we start to learn more about the story, with clues coming thick and fast and then it picks up in the upbeat and unpredictable last half hour, where the final twist will have you on the edge of your seat with disbelief. What I liked was that the killer uses nursery rhymes from a specific book to pick their next victim, which I thought was pretty ingenious and disturbing, especially since the victims have something to associate them with the animals in the nursery rhymes.

Though the plot might have certain flaws, one being it's one -dimensional characters and secondly at times it was pretty convenient that the killer was at the right place at the right time- but otherwise it makes up for it with it's swift and creative deaths: that truly come out of left field… you cant go wrong with that opening scene on the train and at the station, with the hysteria and tension of isolation that builds up throughout that scene.

Though the death scenes might turn off certain viewers- but not if your fan of Argento, as a lot of detail goes into them and so did the setting of the film- it was beautifully shot. The performances are below average; they were kind of lacklustre or either over the top, though with the exception of Max Von Sydow, who brings a lot of class as the retired detective.

An entertaining Giallo film!

3/5

Argento's Back

[deenariley-49870 · 7/10 · 24 March 2020]

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.

A decent return of Dario Argento

[helencmm · 7/10 · 17 March 2020]

"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!

My 2nd Dario Argento-film!

[DJ Inferno · 4 January 2002]

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!!

Almost back to the "best" Argento's past

[silviopellerani · 6/10 · 26 January 2001]

I must admit that have seen all Dario Argento's films and the last 3 ones were very disappointing. Being his fan I could not miss his last effort specially when I noticed that the myths since the time of "Profondo Rosso": The Goblin, were performing the soundtrack.

Dario Argento is back to the old typical thriller structure: a serial killer with a nonsense-rhyme for kids is the leitmotiv of all the homicides in a very wet and scary Turin.

The characters are well performed specially by the "bergmanian" Max Von Sidow. Chiara Caselli and Stefano Dionisi are fine and the first 20 minutes of film are an example of very high level cinema -the scenes shot in the train are icing- The soundtrack is less electronic than in the past with some elements of heavy metal.

Rating: 5/10

Solid thriller gaillo from Dario Argento.

[jhpstrydom · 7/10 · 22 June 2014]

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.

Argento's Return to Gialli

[dperky · 7/10 · 6 October 2020]

After about a decade of turning in less than stellar work after Opera, Dario Argento returned to the genre which made him famous in the first place and Sleepless is good enough to where there's cause for celebration. While not as ornate and interesting as his previous triumphs such as Deep Red or Tenebrae, Sleepless nevertheless has a lot to offer gialli fans.

A killer resurfaces after years of inactivity and is attacking women in Rome based on a children's nursery rhyme and the detective on the case from all those years ago (Max Von Sydow) teams up with a traumatized young man to stop him before he can murder anyone else.

Goblin returns to do the music score, which is one of their best scores in years and Argento showcases a little of the flair he brought to some of his more famous gialli films during the elaborate murder sequences which also have some excellent special effects work.

The lead performances are a bit of a letdown and the script has the tendency to drag a little bit, but it's still one of the best films Argento had made for a while up until that time.

Could've been given 7-star just if it were 30 minutes shorter!

[arefinraktim · 5/10 · 6 July 2020]

Like few other reviewers have mentioned, this movie denotes the lower point of Dario Argento. By no means it is a bad movie or B movie that some others think, but it could be a lot better.

Simply edit out the irrelevant, unnecessary and nonsensical parts and the movie will become much more enjoyable and of course 30 minutes shorter! Will not go into other details as they are pretty much said by one or other reviewers.

The movie has good plot, it is just Dario is no longer that good at execution, sad but true.

Argento shows us why he is Italy's finest

[The_Void · 8/10 · 22 September 2004]

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.

Some of the worst performances ever...

[MAESTRO JEDI · 6/10 · 6 January 2001]

After the huge disappointment of Argento's most recent films, "Nonhosonno" is a little surprise in the director's filmography. It's a return to Argento's roots, with a typical serial killer thrilling show. There are in the film a couple of sequences in which the public can recognize the original talent of the artist that gave us such masterpieces as "Deep Red" or "Suspiria", but the main problem with this movie is in some of the actors performances. While Von Sidow, Falk, Lavia and Scalondro are believable and flawless in their roles, Dionisi, Caselli and Zibetti (not to mention Puglisi, Lerici and Marchesini), gave us some of the worst performances ever seen in a motion picture. Some banal dialogs in the screenplay don't help the final results. Argento really needs to work on scripts written by other people, and possibly with a better artistic cast.

Predictable with bad acting, but still okay

[nermal1 · 5/10 · 18 December 2003]

I saw this film for the first time last night. The trailers particularly looked very interesting, but sadly I didn't get the same feeling from the movie that I got from the trailers.

Some people have said it is hard to guess the killer - not true. I guessed who it was almost immediately, and even at the end when you are thrown another herring I still knew who it was.

The acting was bad. Really bad in some parts, particularly what is meant to be the climax of the movie. I felt like changing the channel just so I didn't have to endure it. It also annoyed me that it was dubbed, and you could see the actors speaking English underneath it. I'm not a big fan of dubbing, and for me it detracted something from the movie, especially when I could have just pressed mute and read their lips and still followed.

Despite this, it was still an okay film. My first Italian horror/thriller/mystery, and I enjoyed it probably for that reason alone. I found the opening scenes to be strong, but sadly the same mood wasn't kept throughout the rest of the film. It may have helped if the 'hero' didn't seem so uninterested the whole time.

Overall, predictable and badly acted, but still worth at least one viewing. I don't know about a second though.

The Giallo-master is back! And how!!!

[Coventry · 8/10 · 3 June 2004]

Yes! Yes! … YES!! Dario Argento returns with the type of film that is worshiped by a select share of real horror fans. An authentic, old-fashioned Giallo! Sleepless is a solid and ultra-violent serial killer mystery with unique plot-twists and a huge amount of ingeniousness. The beautiful city of Turin is the setting of a bizarre series of murders. These killings seem to follow the modus operandi of a serial killer that was active in the same neighborhood 17 years earlier as well. The former commissioner Moretti has to dig deep in his memory and files to go after him again. He can't count on any help by the ‘new' police department and finds assistance in the now adolescent son of the killer's first victim. The pattern seems to include a nursery rime and the always-returning image of a dwarf… After a rather disappointing 90's decade with inferior films like `Phantom of the Opera' and `The Stendal Syndrome', Dario Argento now delivers his purest film since the brilliant `Opera', dated 1987. The tension is terrifically built up and the clues to solve the mystery are slowly being revealed…one by one. Sleepless is provided with a downright fantastic soundtrack by the cult-band `Goblin' and the nursery rime (which forms the pivot element throughout the whole film) literally chills the blood. As usual in this type of films, the acting isn't very good. Veteran actor Max Von Sydow more or less does a good job, but the English dubbing regretfully is dramatic. But hey, that's not Argento's fault so why criticize him? Another often heard remark is the explicit violence in Sleepless. True, several sequences are sadistically gross with heads getting smashed against a wall and a real nasty death caused by a musical instrument. If you can't stand violence, it's your loss…you don't know what you're missing. Sleepless is a film that raises new hope for the Italian horror industry and it easily ranks in the top 10 of best horror films since the new Millennium.

A decent film in the later Argento filmography!

[bigem-97980 · 6/10 · 12 January 2020]

I just finished watching this for the first time in 2020 on vhs lol! I thought it had some good elements for sure. I'm a huge Italian horror fan, giallo fan, Argento fan, and horror fan in general. Some parts really drag on and some of the performances are very dull and terribly dubbed over! I'll keep this spoiler free. The most disappointing part besides all that was the kills. There was only one really memorable and gory one in the whole movie but the rest didn't even show anything! They cut away and you don't even know how they died or what killed them, which makes the kills very lame and tame! There are some beautiful actresses for eye candy to look at. Max van sidow puts on a good performance and so do a few others but in whole the rest suck. So there's a lot of back and forth between good quality and bad quality with just about everything. I did enjoy the twists at the end though and it reminded me of argento's other great giallo movies. I won't get into details because I don't want to ruin anything for you. As an overall package it was a watchable film but not a great film in any way. It's worth at least one watch if you can't find anything you haven't seen yet and if you love Dario Argento's work! You will probably forget it though. The music was actually decent too Goblin did some of it. This is my first quick review by the way...just a little glimpse, summary, and opinion.

POORLY DUBBED SLASHER FILM

[flimbuff · 5/10 · 24 April 2002]

Nothing new or really frightening here. A serial killer is following the pattern of another 15 years ago and the suspect then is supposedly dead and buried. Or is he? I can't begin the judge the acting in this because the dubbing is so bad with the notable exception of Van Sydow. But it does have a plot and is very well shot with digital effects. I suppose someone could watch this since it has been done before and even worse with English speaking actors.

Not Perfect, But Pretty Good

[kyle_c · 7/10 · 1 August 2002]

"Sleepless" is a standard whodunit, with some extra Argento gore and some nice little stylistic touches. It tells the story of a serial killer, the "Dwarf Murderer", who's murders begin again, either by him or a copycat. Years ago, he killed Giacomo's (Stefano Dionisi) mother, and so he has returned to help discover the killer. Ulisse Moretti (Max Von Sydow), is a retired detective who worked on the original "Dwarf Murders" case. Drawn back into the case, he attempts to solve the crime.

The whole cast performance fairly well, with Sydow, as usual, stealing the show every time he is on screen. Most of the young actors perform solidly, although there are a few performance that are just awful, and Giacomo's friend Lorenzo, played by Roberto Zibetti, is just annoying.

The movie is flashy and gory, following Argento's traditional style. In an era when most movies are indistinguished in their style, Argento stands out, with Hitchcock-like visuals and plot themes. Most of the murder scenes are incredibly gory, but I didn't really feel they were to the point that they were overdone.

While "Sleepless" is nothing that will be considered a classic, it tells a solid story, wraps itself up with a good ending, necessary for this type of movie, and impresses the audience with its visuals and style.

*** out of ****

The return of the giallo king

[p-stepien · 6/10 · 7 January 2011]

In 1983 a serial killer nicknamed the Dwarf embarks of a murderous spree. The detective in charge Moretti (played by legendary Max von Sydow) manages to connects the dots to a mystery novelist Vincenzo de Fabritiis, only for the suspect to die before capture. Almost twenty years later a prostitute by freak accident stumbles upon memorabilia of past murders, whilst leaving a clients house. Before she can pass on the mementos to anyone else she is brutally murdered. Soon after murders surprisingly similar to the 1983 case occur and detective Moretti is called back in to assist...

After over a decade of lingering in the disembowelled remains of his legend Dario Argento returns by resurrecting his giallo cookbook. And make no mistake - Argento does not attempt in the slightest to modernise the genre, instead he follows his own former path of glory making sure the recipe is repeated. This also signals a welcome return of The Goblins and their always hauntingly suitable score. The requisite ingredient of long marauding shots, which follow the blood, murder and atmosphere, is obviously also present. One especially well-done fist-clenching sequence has the camera follow a red (what? you expected any other colour from Dario?) carpet with the unmistakable relentless accompaniment of The Goblins straight to a morbid beheading.

That said Argento seems to have dropped his obsession with coloured lenses and does not seem to attach the same fervorous attention to set-pieces. Unfortunately this does seem to take away some of the Argento magic and can not help but feel the superiority of the 70s giallo. Even more so, that the formulaic repetitiveness of Argento causes "Sleepless" to become all to similar to what the master has already offered us in the past. The script has the feel of being a collage of several other Argento giallo flicks. Nonetheless the movie features surprisingly crisp acting for an Argento movie, even though some of the characters seem unnecessarily overcooked.

There are several other smaller flaws to "Sleepless", as the movie drags on even more than we are used to from the Italian, the dialogue can be ridiculous at times (Moretti dumbfoundedly asks "Who is that? Is this a joke?" after hearing someone break his window), whilst some of the plotting is absurdly unlikely to say the least (i.e. a witness decides to return a gold pen to the serial killer in exchange for money, instead of handing in the evidence to the police).

This movie also has a touch of Argento's self-commentary to it in the shape of Moretti, a detective used to the old ways of solving crime. Now the methods have changed, but Moretti has struggled to adapt, still preferring the traditional art of deduction. One can't help but feel that this is Argento's personal explanation as to his persistent drop in status during the 90s.

Nonetheless a nice movie that shows that Dario Argento still has some spark left in him. Whether or not he will be able to tap into this source to make a spectacular comeback to the limelight remains however to be seen.

A good tribute to argento's glory days

[acidburn-10 · 7/10 · 24 April 2012]

I happened to come across this movie when it first came out in my local video shop going back about 10 years ago now, before a time when I was into the internet so at the time I had no clue at where or when the next Dario Argento movie was coming out, that's the main reason why I bought this and I was surprisingly pleased with the result.

The plot is quite interesting, an idea of the dwarf murders is certainly interesting and can only be pulled off in Italian horror, but one of my main complaints is that it doesn't quite follow the director's usual flair, but this is still the best movie he's done in a long time. Giallo fans will know that Sleepless follows a fairly well-worn pattern from a storyline perspective. There are a few twists and turns with plenty of murders strewn in among the chaos before the film ultimately climaxes with the revelation of the killer. Argento doesn't do much to separate this one from the giallo pack, but the nursery rhyme aspect is interesting and even a bit demented.

The death scenes are fun and very elaborate and the performances are decent as well from the cast, Max Von Sydow is competent and an unexpected presence in this kind of movie and Stefano Dionisi also gives a convincing performance as the male lead.

All in all Many say that this is a return to form, and in a way it is but not quite up there with (Deep Red, The Bird In A Cystal Plummage, Suspiria, Tenebrae and Phenomena), but much better than the more recent efforts like (Trauma and Stendal Syndrome).

Argento's return to Giallos

[Bogey Man · 3/10 · 20 April 2003]

Dario Argento's return to his most familiar and favourite genre, murder mystery (Giallo), is this 2001 film Non ho Sonno aka Sleepless which he also co-wrote with Franco Ferrini, his long time companion. The film is about a grisly murder that took place in 1983 and involved a "dwarf" and a very traumatic thing related to that. Seventeen years pass by and an unlucky prostitute seems to meet the same killer or a copycat, and so the years dead case becomes active again and the old detective (great Max von Sydow) is called back for some help, and he indeed starts to investigate the case even though he's been retired for many years. The plot is confusing to say the least and the film is again overlong, but are there any positive aspects in this newer film by Italian horror maestro?

The legendary rock band Goblin with Claudio Simonetti reunited for this film and that is easily among the film's greatest merits as their score and atmospheric electric guitar soundtrack is almost as wonderful as it is in Argento classics like Tenebre (1982) or Profondo Rosso (1975). The film's first 20 minutes are also among the best the film has to offer as it includes a nightmarishly prolonged chase in a night train during a heavy thunderstorm, exactly like in the masterpiece Suspiria (1977) and its first 15 minutes as well as in the finale of Tenebre, and the storm rages here as menacingly as it did in those classics. Even a less than a second frame of a lightning from the sky creates a wonderful tension here accompanied with the pounding music. Also the editing and camerawork is clever in that beginning and it is quite sad how the tone slows down and gets more tired after the promising beginning.

As mentioned, von Sydow is also very noteworthy aspect in the film and he is a professional, even though Argento definitely is not always too great with actors. It is easy to see von Sydow doesn't even need the assistance by the director, he knows how to do the scene and thus he saves a lot from this film, too. The typical magic bits of Argento like incredible colors, camera drives and darkness are only occasionally present here. The long camera drive over a carpet is like the similar scene involving an entire apartment with its walls and roof in Tenebre, and the darkness and usage of shadows is close to his noirish, but very flawed, 1996 film La Sindrome di Stendhal aka The Stendhal's Syndrome which starred his own daughter, Asia Argento. Non ho Sonno isn't too hypnotic or wonderful a film anymore, and clues of this were also visible in the mentioned 1996 film as well as the disastrous Trauma (1993) and Il Fantasma dell'opera aka Phantom of the Opera (1998). Apparently one thing Argento always manages to do are the extremely painful and graphic scenes of violence.

The violence is mainly towards females in this film which will definitely annoy some viewers as the scenes are easy to interpret misogynistic, but still there are normal, natural and safe female character(s) in the film, too, and among the leads, so let's not blame Argento for the former thing. The murders themselves are perhaps the strongest he has ever shot and come almost close to gratuitous exploitation with plenty of close ups of gushing wounds and violated victims. One scene is very similar with the "teeth crushing" of Profondo Rosso, as nasty and painful as in that film and all these scenes of infernal violence seem to serve is the shock value to create the "horror" which would be in fact much more effective if everything was not shown, or at least if the visuals and music were more noteworthy than in this film.

The film lacks again a theme of any kind so the film will look very frustrating and boring if one searches for something more than just a "surprising" murder mystery that goes on for too long. There's again an explanation of some kind for the acts of the murderer but they are not always so easy to take seriously, unfortunately. The film includes also a quite repulsive scene of a child witnessing a brutal murder of a relative so scenes as strong as these would require the piece to have a real theme and thus more reason to include scenes like those. The film is not so artistic anymore in any way, so unwillingly or not Argento has this time created only a piece of violent mystery thriller to satisfy the audience by the "entertainment" received by that, nothing more, those few cinematic merits mentioned above excluded naturally.

It is quite painful for the viewer to sit through films like this, Trauma and La Sindrome di Stendhal as they feel so slow and boring, mostly because the characters never become too interesting or multi leveled and there are scenes that are unnecessarily too long and not so important to the plot development, and they also usually involve, for example, the protagonist quite irritatingly talking to himself/herself as he/she tries to solve the case by himself in peace. Someway it all was and is really interesting in giallo classics Profondo Rosso or Tenebre as those films have more interesting characters and overall more merits in the imagery and soundtrack. Someway Argento seems to have lost his touch to the magic he owns, but hopefully he manages to get it back again some day. He just should concentrate on other things than graphic violence and too untraditional cases and explanations in his films.

Non ho Sonno is a 3/10 experience for me, after seen the uncut Italian version that has also been released in the UK. The US video/DVD under title "I Can't Sleep" is cut for violence and gore. This is on the same level with Stendhal, and that level is not too great or recommendable. Below that level are still Trauma and Phantom of the Opera so it could still be worse but something I wouldn't like to see from Argento.

Argento's Return To Old Greatness

[Witchfinder-General-666 · 8/10 · 7 April 2008]

Dario Argento is one of my personal favorite directors, and many of my fellow Horror buffs will agree that the man is one of the all-time Horror greats. Films like "Suspiria" (1977), "Profondo Rosso" (1975) and Phenomena (1985) range among my all-time favorites, and Argento's repertoire includes several other masterpieces of Italian Horror/Giallo, such as "The Bird With The Crystal Plumage" (1970), "Opera"(1987) or "Tenebre"(1982). After several inferior films that he made in the 1990s, such as the decent "Trauma" of 1993 and "Two Evil Eyes" (which he made with fellow Horror-deity George A. Romero in 1990) and the disappointing "Phantom of the Opera", the master returned to his old style - and old greatness - with this "Non Ho Sonno" aka "Sleepless", a tantalizing and ultra-violent Giallo, in 2001. The good-old Giallo premise is still working greatly, and the fact that Argento borrows many elements from his older films does in no way downsize the greatness of "Sleepless". On the contrary, this is the absolute proof for us Italian Horror buffs that great Gialli can still be made in the 21st century.

In 1983, young Giacomo has to witness the brutal murder of his mother, who is one of the many victims of a Turin murder series. 17 years later, Turin is struck by a murder-series again, and the horrid crimes seem to resemble those from 1983. Even though he has spent the last 17 years trying to forget, Giacomo (Stefano Dionisi), who has since moved to Rome, decides to come back to Turin. Since the police make little progress, Giacomo and the retired homicide detective Ulisse Moretti (Max Von Sydow), who was working on the cases in 1983, begin to investigate themselves...

"Sleepless" brings the old-fashioned Giallo-greatness that we're used to from Argento. A creepy atmosphere, stunning suspense, ultra-bloody murders, an excellent cinematography and especially another ingenious score by Progressive Rock band Goblin - this film delivers all the great elements that we love Argento for. Argento has once stated that this is the most brutal of all his films which is not exactly true. The violence and gore are extreme, no doubt, but films like "Tenebre", "Phenomena" or "Opera" are at least equally violent, if not more. Dario Argento is not exactly known for his tameness when it comes to violence, and this is yet another (immensely stylishly) ultra-brutal Argento experience. As I stated above, Argento uses some elements he has used in his older films - but he does so in an great manner. Elements like a creepy nursery-rhyme are downright ingenious and give this the tantalizing and superb atmosphere that is typical for Argento. An absolute must-see for Horror fans, especially my fellow Argento-enthusiasts can not allow themselves to miss this! Great!

Better Film Than Expected

[arthurconnor · 7/10 · 28 November 2021]

A killer returns after years in hiding and resumes their killing spree as the detective on the case tries to stop them.

This is one of Argento's more interesting later films. It has enough style and some really grisly murder sequences to remind you of his past work and the Goblin score is really fantastic. What does work is the chemistry between the two leads. Every time they have a scene, the film deflates and starts to drag.

"Deep Red 2" it ain't... what a disappointment!

[marco70 · 2/10 · 12 January 2001]

You could easily dub this movie "What ever happened to Dario Argento's talent?"... The lethal combination of one of the worst screenplays he ever worked on, and one of the worst group of actors (should we call them "actors"?!?!?...they really do not seem to know what acting is about) makes for an awful, boring, shockingly dull movie. Argento displays his undisputed bravura only in two scenes (one, on a train, at the very beginning; the other, on a red carpet of a theater, much later), but it's really too little for a movie who's intended to be the sequel to "Profondo rosso", one of Argento's most beloved films...

It's a shame to see the great Max von Sydow sink in this sea of mediocrity... The other thesps' recitation grade from mediocre to cheesy to absolutely camp, and it's really difficult to award the palm for worst actor. Gabriele Lavia simply overacts his role, constantly frowning (why?); Rossella Falk goes for the "theatrical" performance, and it seems to be not a wise choice... what should we say about the others? Dionisi? Terrible. Caselli? She seems to be in another movie. Zibetti? Well, I thought he had already given his worst in Bertolucci's "Stealing Beauty", but in "Nonhosonno" he simply outdo himself, with a performance so creepily horrible, so cheesily camp (and, jeez, let's not talk about his voice), that if the movie ever find an American distributor, he can surely make room on the mantelpiece for a well-deserved "Worst Actor of the Decade" Razzie Award...

Argento is still one of the greatest (horror) directors to grace this planet!

[LoneWolfAndCub · 9/10 · 15 January 2008]

I had doubts about the quality of this movie as I had heard many people say his recent movies have been of poor quality. My doubts were shattered after the first 20 minutes. After a dazzling (somewhat) double murder Argento proves that he still has it and that he can still make an old-fashioned giallo as good as always. 'Sleepless' features the black-gloved killer, gorgeous camera-work, visceral and stylish gore and a knockout twist that Argento never fails to deliver. And to top off what I've said, legendary actor Max Von Sydow gives an outstanding performance as the main character, Ulisse Moretti. Moretti is a retired detective emerging once again to confront a series of killings which link to another series of killings 17 years ago. The suspect "The Dwarf" died way back then, so who could be killing again? Teaming up Giacomo (Stefano Dionisi), whose mother was killed by "The Dwarf" when he was a child, Moretti tries to solve these recent slew of murders and put to rest the case forever.

From the opening, where we have an intense murder on a train, to the end, where the killer is finally revealed and Max Von Sydow recites a nursery rhyme (which is relevant to the plot) over the credits Argento uses his trademark styles to keep us on the edge of our seats. From his masterful direction, Goblin's always excellent score and the incredibly brutal murder sequences 'Sleepless' is Dario's best movie since Opera. The atmosphere throughout is kept at an intense level, although Argento focuses a lot on the story, which is hardly a bad thing (if anything it's better) and the story unfolds at an excitingly nail-biting pace.

However, like many of his movies, the acting by a few is subpar but that's something that many fans of Argento come to expect and even if you're not it shouldn't matter. With a great Goblin soundtrack, an engaging plot and plenty of yucky gore what else could you want? 4½/5

Undoubtedly flawed, but on the whole, a great piece of work

[ThreeSadTigers · 17 June 2008]

Sleepless (2001) finds director Dario Argento at his self-referential best; producing a film that seems like a veritable greatest hits package of his more recognisable trademarks and preoccupations, including the revelation of a traumatic childhood event, the reliance on the juxtaposition between an older, more seasoned character and his young protégé turned amateur sleuths, the foregrounding of a burgeoning love affair and the always prevalent notions of sight and perception. It taps into the territory of his earlier films perfectly, with the depiction of a black-gloved serial killer prowling the night and killing to the rules of a bizarre children's storybook that is rife with reminisces to Argento's earliest masterpiece, Deep Red (1975). Admittedly, it could be argued that the film falls apart a little towards the end, but for the most part Sleepless is a fantastic thriller, and easily Argento's best film since Opera (1987) more than a decade before.

It was touted at the time as the director's return to his more traditional Giallo roots of films like The Bird with the Crystal Plumage (1970), Four Flies on Grey Velvet (1974) and Tenebrae (1982); though I'm sure some would still argue that it doesn't quite achieve the creative highs of those particular films, with the occasional flaws - many of which Argento fans will have come to know and love - marring the film in the second half. However, I think even the most vocal critics would be able to see it as a self-conscious effort on the part of the filmmaker to create a film with a writhing and endlessly fascinating plot, some bold visual compositions and scenarios that recall the greatness of his earlier work, and of course, lashings of gratuitous violence. The presentation might be a little more cutting-edge, with the modern-day, 21st century streets of Rome and contemporary attitudes of its characters further fuelling the plot; however, the structure of the film, the relationships between the characters and the fantastic way that Argento builds tension and dread is right out of his "animal trilogy" of the 1970's.

The murder scenes are as inventive as ever, filled with those trademark POV shots and plenty of bravura, with the cinematography of Ronnie Taylor thankfully being closer to his work on Opera (1987) rather than The Phantom of the Opera (1998). The opening scene itself is one of the greatest things that Argento has ever directed, skilfully establishing the back-story of the killer and his particular Modus operandi as he stalks a terrified prostitute through a passenger train and out onto the empty, nocturnal train station, in a manner that recalls the opening sequences of that perennial favourite Suspiria (1977). The grandiose scenes of stalk and slash terror is to be expected from Argento, especially with the memory of his earlier films still in mind, however, what really sets Sleepless apart from his more recent works, like The Stendhal Syndrome (1996) and The Card Player (2005), is the compelling performance from a genuine acting legend; in this instance, the ever-brilliant Max Von Sydow.

Von Sydow plays Ulisse Moretti, a now retired police detective still obsessing over a shocking murder case that took place eighteen years earlier. As fate conspires to throw Moretti together with Giacomo, the son of the original victim, the two men decide to re-investigate the case in light of recent murders that seem to point to the same killer, or indeed, killers. Though Stefano Dionisi as the earnest and enthusiastic Giacomo lacks the natural ability of Von Sydow (a fact not helped by his rather poor English dubbing), he still manages to carry his strands of the narrative fairly well, while the scenes between their two particular characters resonate with the same kind of mutual respect and contagious curiosity that was found between the lead characters of The Cat O' Nine Tails (1971) or even the aforementioned Deep Red. Some of the other performances aren't quite as strong, though the shadow of Von Sydow and the technical virtuosity and ace storytelling of Argento definitely make up for it; turning a film that could have easily become generic and derivative into a genuinely interesting murder mystery.

It might not be Argento's greatest film; lacking the unconventional flair and visual eccentricity of Deep Red or the self-reflexive experimentation and daring design of the classic Tenebrae, it does at least deliver on the basic levels of story, characters and vision. As mentioned before, the ending falls apart somewhat; certainly not to the degree of The Stendhal Syndrome or The Card Player, but enough to detract from the overall experience. It's a shame too, as the individual elements of the film are great and filled with numerous Argento touches of horror and humour. However, for this to really be considered a masterpiece it needed the kind of jaw-dropping final-act revelation of the films he made in the 70's and early 80's. Without question, Sleepless is still a great film for those in the right frame of mind and definitely something that should be appreciated by long-term Argento devotees still desperate for something that comes close to the tone of his more iconic early works.

Considering how mediocre Argento's recent efforts are? I thought it was rather decent.

[callanvass · 6/10 · 3 December 2013]

(Credit IMDb) An elderly and retired police detective and a young amateur sleuth team up to find a serial killer whom has resumed a killing spree in Turin, Italy after a 17-year hiatus.

I wouldn't call this movie great by any means, but considering that Argento can't make a decent film to save his life this days, this was a perfectly acceptable film. I don't mean to sound disrespectful. I love Dario Argento. I truly do. He is capable of being one of the great horror minds, but he has succumbed to stuff that is below everybody's standards. Argento's stylish direction is fantastic, the lighting is great, and it has some really good stalk sequences as well, especially the train sequence in the beginning of the movie. Gore hounds will be fairly satisfied with this movie. We get a weird flute murder that rules. A nasty pen stabbing in the head, somebody's head gets pounded into a wall, and teeth are knocked out, and more. I was quite satisfied with Argento's brutality. The acting was decent, considering some people were dubbed. Max Von Sydow is pure class, and I thought he was great. His character is written with a lot of substance behind it, and I managed to get behind him. You'll feel for him. The rest of the cast are mostly dubbed, so I can't really comment on them much. I will say this movie has a good twist ending, which makes sense.

Final Thoughts: It beats watching Giallo, Card Player, and other average films on Argento's resume these days. It's not perfect, but it does have enough flashes of brilliance to make it worth your while

6.3/10

Argento at his worst

[Funk Doctor · 2/10 · 9 August 2001]

Oh my god, what did he do?!? Dario Argento, one of the greatest European directors has delivered a movie, which makes you ask what was going on in his brain when he was filming it. Everything was so promising: "Sleepless" was supposed to be back-to-the-roots, its score is composed by "Goblin", effects by Sergio Stivaletti and with Max von Sydow there is an international star leading the cast. What would Argento have done with a staff like this in the seventies or eighties? Well, in 2001 he does nothing: The story is nonexistent, the acting is just plain bad -the worst actor of them all is allowed to play the killer!-, "Goblin"s great score is used ineffectively and there is neither suspense nor atmosphere. But the worst thing of all is that Argento has forgotten what made his earlier films great: His use of the camera and his great visual sense. "Sleepless" just looks cheap. There is only one Argentoesque moment (a camera going alongside a carpet) - the rest is boredom. In one magazine I read that "Sleepless" looks like an old movie of Argento, which he forgot in the drawer - yeah, and he must be stupid to get it out now.