History YMMV / Sleepers

* CompleteMonster: [[WouldHurtAChild Sean Nokes]], the {{sadist}}ic security guard at the juvenile home the four main boys are sent to, is an example of the worst corruption going unnoticed by the system. Nokes, as leader of his own small gang, wastes no time in proving himself a cruel [[TheBully bully]] who forces a boy to eat food off the floor when he fails to show the proper deference. He soon takes the boys and together with his men regularly beats and rapes them. When the boys win a football match against the guards Nokes has them violently beaten and thrown in solitary, with the "star player" dying of the injuries inflicted. When [[BullyHunter confronted years later by his victims]], he feebly protests he was only trying to "toughen" them, to which one of his former victims sarcastically answers that Nokes simply liked lording over, beating, and raping boys.

* HarsherInHindsight: Shakes's line about how a marriage could only end when someone died, in an already [[TearJerker tragic scene]] becomes even sadder with the passing of the real Lorenzo Carcaterra's wife in 2013. [[TheWoobie Poor guy]] can’t catch a break!

* HarsherInHindsight: Shake’s line about how a marriage could only end when someone died, in an already [[TearJerker tragic scene]] becomes even sadder with the passing of the real Lorenzo Carcaterra's wife in 2013. [[TheWoobie Poor guy]] can’t catch a break!

** Father Bobby, it turns out, spent time at Wilkinson's and he knows what it's like to be there. His experiences were bad enough that they turned his best friend into a hardened criminal, yet not even he could imagine what the four boys would have to suffer.
** Shakes' father spent time in prison and knows what it's like. His utter terror, when his son is sentenced to a year in a juvenile facility, says it all.

** Shakes' father's reaction to his son being sentenced to a juvenile facility. Granted, he’s not exactly the best guy by any means, as he verbally and physically abuses his wife but it’s still painful to see him completely in tears. It's heavily alluded to throughout the movie that he knows what his son will be subjected to -- only what he thought he knew wasn't half as bad as what really happened.[[note]]The book mentions that Shakes found out later in life that it was for killing his first wife[[/note]]

* CompleteMonster: [[WouldHurtAChild Sean Nokes]], the {{sadist}}ic security guard at the juvenile home the four main boys are sent to, is an example of the worst corruption going unnoticed by the system. Nokes, as leader of his own small gang, wastes no time in proving himself a cruel [[TheBully bully]] who forces a boy to eat food off the floor when he fails to show the proper deference. He soon takes the boys and together with his men regularly beats and rapes them. When the boys win a football match against the guards Nokes has them violently beaten and thrown in solitary, with the "star player" dying of the injuries inflicted. When [[BullyHunter confronted years later by his victims]], he feebly protests he was only trying to "toughen" them, to which one of his former victims sarcastically answers that Nokes simply liked lording over, beating and raping boys.

** Father Bobby, it turns out, spent time at Wilkinson's and he knows what it's like to be there. His experiences were bad enough that it turned his best friend into a hardened criminal, yet not even he could imagine what the four boys would have to suffer.

* RetroactiveRecognition: Creator/JohnSlattery plays the English teacher in prison.

** While praying at church, Shakes has a flashback to Wilkinson's of being raped with a baton while being forced by the guards to pray.
** Shakes' father's reaction to his son being sentenced to a juvenile facility. Granted, he’s not exactly the best guy by any means, as he verbally and physically abuses his wife but it’s still painful to see him completely in tears. It's heavily alluded throughout the movie that he knows what his son will be subjected to -- only what he thought he knew wasn't half as bad as what really happened.[[note]]The book mentions that Shakes found out later in life that it was for killing his first wife[[/note]]

* CompleteMonster: [[WouldHurtAChild Sean Nokes]], the {{sadist}}ic security guard at the juvenile home the four main boys are sent to, is an example of the worst corruption going unnoticed by the system. Nokes, as leader of his own small gang, wastes no time in proving himself a cruel {{bully}} who forces a boy to eat food off the floor when he fails to show the proper deference. He soon takes the boys and together with his men regularly beats and rapes them. When the boys win a football match against the guards Nokes has them violently beaten and thrown in solitary, with the "star player" dying of the injuries inflicted. When [[BullyHunter confronted years later by his victims]], he feebly protests he was only trying to "toughen" them, to which one of his former victims sarcastically answers that Nokes simply liked lording over, beating and raping boys.

** Shakes' father's reaction to his son being sentenced to a juvenile facility. Granted, he’s not exactly the best guy by any means, as he verbally and physically abuses his wife but it’s still painful to see him completely in tears. It's heavily alluded throughout the movie that he knows what his son will be subjected to -- only what he thought he knew wasn't half as bad as what really happened.

* AlternateCharacterInterpretation: In-universe. There's Ralph Ferguson who seems a model citizen who lives an ordinary life. To the four sleepers - John in particular - he is a sadistic monster and rapist. He's also a huge coward, as it turns out, who [[spoiler:runs away rather than face justice for his actions]]. Exploited by Michael and Danny O'Connor during the trial. Ferguson is brought in as a character witness re: Sean Nokes and he genuinely believes the description he makes of Nokes as the best friend anyone can have, someone who was always there for you, someone you could talk to about everything. As O'Connor questions him and the truth begins to come out an entirely different picture is drawn. The end of the interrogation more or less can be seen as this trope put into words.
--->'''O'Connor''': Mr. Ferguson, do you still think that Sean Nokes was a good man?
--->'''Ferguson''': *in tears* He was my friend.
--->'''O'Connor''': A friend who raped and abused boys he was paid to look after.

** Shakes' father's reaction to his son being sentenced to a juvenile facility. Granted he’s not exactly the best guy by any means, as he verbally and physically abuses his wife but it’s still painful to see him completely in tears. It's heavily implied throughout the movie that he knows what his son will be subjected to - only what he thought he knew wasn't half as bad as what really happened.
-->'''Mr. Carcaterra''': He's just a kid! He shouldn't have to do time! Nobody in this family should have to do time! I did enough time for ''everybody''!

* SomeAnvilsNeedToBeDropped:
** Child molestation is bad.
** Beatings and abuse can turn people who could have otherwise straightened out into hardened criminals. The case is specially made with John, who was the most kind-hearted of the group and who wanted to be a priest, but who ended up the coldest one of them all.
** Violence begets violence.
** Just punishing kids with behavioral problems with no effort to reach or help them will likely just make them worse. Shakes notes that most of the kids in the facility had been in there before and had been basically written off already.
** Shakes learns from Father Bobby that when you do something bad, it's important to face up to it and accept the consequences. Otherwise, you spend your life running away.

-->'''Mr. Carcaterra''': He shouldn't have to do time! No one in this family should have to do time! I did enough time for ''everybody''!

* AwardSnub: Given its AllStarCast, subject matter and solid ratings it seems a little strange that the only Oscar nod it got was for original score. The fact that the movie's claim to being factual was heavily challenged could perhaps be one of the reasons why. By now the film is largely forgotten but those who do watch it usually praise it (unless they deride it because of the factual claim).

* SugarWiki/HeartwarmingMoments: Father Bobby, King Benny and Fat Mancho all caring that much for a group of four boys they aren't related to.
* JerkassWoobie: John and Tommy later in life become cold-blooded killers who are guilty of the murder they commit. However, the sheer amount of sexual abuse they put up with in their childhoods can't make them anything but sympathetic.

** Shakes' father spent time in prison and knows what it's like. His utter terror when his son is sentenced to a year in a juvenile facility says it all.

** Beatings and abuse can turn people who could have otherwise straightened out into hardened criminals. The case is especially made with John, who was the most kind-hearted of the group and who wanted to be a priest, but who ended up the coldest one of them all.

** Shakes learns from Father Bobby that when you do something bad, it's important to face up to it and accept the consequences. Otherwise you spend your life running away.

** John appearing in Shakes's cell with blood running down his legs, desperate and nearly broken after another rape, willing to kill Ferguson to get the torture to stop. John having been the gentlest one of the group.

** Shakes's father's reaction to his son being sentenced to a juvenile facility. Granted he’s not exactly the best guy by any means, as he verbally and physically abuses his wife but it’s still painful to see him completely in tears. It's heavily implied throughout the movie that he knows what his son will be subjected to - only what he thought he knew wasn't half as bad as what really happened.

* AlternateCharacterInterpretation: In-universe. There's Ralph Ferguson who seems a model citizen who lives an ordinary life. To the four sleepers - John in particular - he is a sadistic monster and rapist. He's also a huge coward, as it turns out, who [[spoiler:runs away rather than face justice for his actions]].
** Exploited by Michael and Danny O'Connor during the trial. Ferguson is brought in as a character witness re: Sean Nokes and he genuinely believes the description he makes of Nokes as the best friend anyone can have, someone who was always there for you, someone you could talk to about everything. As O'Connor questions him and the truth begins to come out an entirely different picture is drawn. The end of the interrogation more or less can be seen as this trope put into words.

* NightmareFuel: Father Bobby, it turns out, spent time at Wilkinson's and he knows what it's like to be there. His experiences were bad enough that it turned his best friend into a hardened criminal, yet not even he could imagine what the four boys would have to suffer.

* SomeAnvilsNeedToBeDropped: Child molestation is bad.

* TearJerker: John appearing in Shakes's cell with blood running down his legs, desperate and nearly broken after another rape, willing to kill Ferguson to get the torture to stop. John having been the gentlest one of the group.

* TearJerker: John appearing in Shakes' cell with blood running down his legs, desperate and nearly broken after another rape, willing to kill Ferguson to get the torture to stop. John having been the gentlest one of the group.

** Shakes' father's reaction to his son being sentenced to a juvenile facility. Granted he’s not exactly the best guy by any means, as he verbally and physically abuses his wife but it’s still painful to see him completely in tears. It's heavily implied throughout the movie that he knows what his son will be subjected to - only what he thought he knew wasn't half as bad as what really happened.

** Shakes' father's reaction to his son being sentenced to a juvenile facility. Granted he’s not exactly the best guy by any means, considering the fact that he verbally and physically abuses his wife but it’s still painful to see him completely in tears. It's heavily implied throughout the movie that he knows what his son will be subjected to - only what he thought he knew wasn't half as bad as what really happened.

** Shakes' father's reaction to his son being sentenced to a juvenile facility. It's heavily implied throughout the movie that he knows what his son will be subjected to - only what he thought he knew wasn't half as bad as what really happened.

* CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming: Father Bobby, King Benny and Fat Mancho all caring that much for a group of four boys they aren't related to.

-->'''O'Connor''': Mr. Ferguson, do you still think that Sean Nokes was a good man?
-->'''Ferguson''': *in tears* He was my friend.
-->'''O'Connor''': A friend who raped and abused boys he was paid to look after.

* AllStarCast: Robert DeNiro, Brad Pitt, Jason Patrick, Dustin Hoffman, Kevin Bacon, Minnie Driver, Billy Crudup, Bruno Kirby.

* TheDanza: Robert DeNiro as Father Robert Carrillo.

-->'''Mr. Carcaterra''': He shouldn't have to do time! No one in this family should have to do time! I did enough time for ''everybody''!

** Imagine pulling a fairly innocent prank that goes horribly wrong. Then not only having to live with the guilt but being sent away from your family - as a preteen - to spend at least a year in jail. Then imagine being at that jail and finding yourself at the mercy of a group of sadistic guards who rape and torture you and your best friends repeatedly. You have no chance of escape or fighting back.

** Violence begets violence.* TearJerker: John appearing in Shakes' cell with blood running down his legs, desperate and nearly broken after another rape, willing to kill Ferguson to get the torture to stop. John having been the gentlest one of the group.

-->''Mr. Carcaterra'': He shouldn't have to do time! No one in this family should have to do time! I did enough time for ''everybody''!

* CompleteMonster: [[WouldHurtAChild Sean Nokes]], the {{sadist}}ic security guard at the juvenile home the four main boys are sent to, is an example of the worst corruption going unnoticed by the system. Nokes, as leader of his own small gang, wastes no time in proving himself a cruel {{bully}} who forces a boy to eat food off the floor when he fails to show the proper deference. Nokes soon takes the boys and with his men, regularly beats and rapes them. When the boys win a football match against Nokes, he has them violently beaten and thrown in solitary, with the "star player" dying of the injuries inflicted. When [[BullyHunter confronted years later by his victims]], Nokes feebly protests he was only trying to "toughen" them, to which one of his former victims sarcastically answers that Nokes simply liked lording over, beating and raping boys.