On S List of Movie Reviews

(For optimum viewing, adjust the zoom level of your browser to 125%.)



Sleepers West (1941)

Rate: 3
Viewed: 2/09

SleepersW
2/09: After seeing Michael Shayne: Private Detective, I expected Sleepers West to be better and funnier, but it didn't turn out that way.

Rather, I'm introduced to unlikable characters (and a few of them appear out of nowhere!), hackneyed subplots, and a lot of uninteresting banter. In other words, not much happens. Then there's the sugarcoated wrap-up before it's finally over.

I don't know if it's just me, but is there hidden racism in some parts? Then again, I'm sure that's a reflection of the period, but still, it's disappointing. As for films that take place on the train, I've seen better such as Narrow Margin, Strangers on a Train, and The Manchurian Candidate.

Whenever I saw Everett "The Stupid Girl Keeps Calling Me Jase" Jason, I was thinking, "Is that Ed Begley's father? Or perhaps Bill Fagerbakke's?" The silly scene involving an oil tanker stuck on the rail track brings back memories of Plan 9 from Outer Space.

All in all, Sleepers West is a major departure from the style and humor that made Michael Shayne: Private Detective distinctive.