The nicest guy in Mike Hodge's arty, absolutely tedious new thriller "I'll Sleep When I'm Dead" in an affable young drug dealer named Davy. Played by Irish actor Jonathan Rhys Meyers ("Bend it Like Beckham"), Davey seems like a sweet kid with an unsavory job. He makes friendly banter with a hippie cab driver and he is appreciated by the rich, beautiful people who buy him drugs. It might have been interesting to get to know Davey better, but unfortunately, early in the film, he is waylaid by some mobsters and brutally raped. He goes home and kills himself. Bye-bye Davey.
His brother Willie (Clive Owen) comes back to town after three years in the woods to revenge his death. It's that classic story: the violent mobster with a heart of gold who tries to get out of the business, but the business pulls him back in. Willie is a mono-syllabic brute, essentially, and, truth be told, unpleasant to look at. Clad in heavy flannels, long hair, and a heavy beard, Owens looks like a mountain. The English characters call him a "Pikey." He is practically unrecognizable. And that's a shame, because in my opinion, the thing that Owens does best is smolder. He saved Mike Hodge's last cinematic effort "The Croupier" simply by showing up in a tuxedo.
The biggest suspense in "I'll Sleep When I’m Done" is wondering when Clive Owen is going cut his hair. Because of course he will. The restoration of his good looks is just as obvious as the fact that he will find the man who assaulted his brother. Brilliant actor Malcolm McDowell is wasted in the role of Boad, a mobster, dinner-party throwing rapist. The equally talented actress Charlotte Rampling is also wasted as Helen, the good woman left behind.
