I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead

Sometimes you just have to sit back and get enjoyment out of a simple story, very well made. Like a perfect peanut butter sandwich, made with fresh peanuts, warm fresh-from-the-bakery bread, and creamy butter. It’s a peanut butter sandwich, to be sure. But it’s crafted by someone who appreciates a good peanut butter sandwich, and will take the time to make a good sandwich for other people who appreciate such things. [Clive Owen](http://us.imdb.com/name/nm0654110/)  is fantastic to watch. I don’t think there’s anything I’ve seen him in that I’ve disliked. He is the very definition of “understated”. I guess you could say I’m a fan. Which is why, 20 minutes into [,](http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0319531/)  I was a bit put out that I didn’t know which person he was. I finally figured out he was the bushman during a closeup where I could see his eyes. One can’t hide eyes like that. 

It’s a revenge story, simple as that. A bad thing happens to one of the characters, his brother (Clive Owen) comes back to first figure out what happens, then to avenge his brother. That’s it. In the hands of these professionals, what could be a film filled with gratuitous special effects, violence and mayhem, is a careful study of the relationship between these brothers and their friends. It emphasises the curious quality of memories, and how they shift depending on both the original viewpoint, and the passing of time.

My one complaint is that the ending just seems too easy, too pat. After the massive effort Clive Owen’s character takes to avenge his brother, the resulting story exposition and climax is almost too easy. It’s as if the crew looked at their collective watches and said “Damn! Only ten minutes of film left! Let’s wrap it up quickly now!”.