The Devil's Sleep

I'm not sure what the title of The Devil's Sleep has to do with the price of water on Tattooine. There is nothing sleep related nor directly devil related in this flick. The story deals with drugs mostly. I could see it as the drugs killing people if anyone actually died as a result of them.

Drugs are causing a rise in criminal behavior amongst high school kids. A judge and a young police detective are at the forefront of trying to put a stop to it all. When the drug lord gets wind of it he sets in motion a plan to get compromising pictures of the judge's daughter he can use as leverage.

If that seems like a short plot summary it's because the story is pitifully weak. The focus seems to be on the idea of getting the dirty blackmail pictures. We spend a lot of time following the paths of all those involved so that we know exactly how the bad guys are able to get their photo. If only this much detail were given to the rest of the story.

These days I think anyone that watches CSI or Law and Order could sit down and write a more convincing description of criminal activity than these guys did. The whole nature of the drug and what the crimes the kids are committing while on them or in order to get them (whichever the case is supposed to be) is unclear and even confusing.

With such a disappointing story, the bad acting only drags the whole production down that much more. I don't think any of the roles were convincing except for maybe the girl who fell victim to the blackmailer's camera.

Ultimately I would consider this drama with a little intrigue. It's not dramatic, intriguing, suspenseful, or engaging. It's thoroughly forgettable and not worth the time to see it.

MORALITY:

Most black and white movies have virtually no questionable material in them unless they are being played for shock value. This one may pale in comparison to a modern R rated movie, but is still a lot more than most from this time frame.

There is nudity for one thing. We get a quick but clear shot of a girl's bare butt. There is also some partial nudity when we see the photo being used for blackmail (which, by the way, looks more like a girl posing than a shot of opportunity that it is supposed to be) and in a gym scene.

There is a little mild strong language, too.

There is almost no violence.

There is plenty of talk about kids using drugs, at least one scene of drug use, and some underage drinking.

SPIRITUALITY:

We could look at the difference between now and then. You can get a better view than this of a person's butt on a public beach these days. So much for blackmail. There's not any direct spirituality here.

FINAL THOUGHTS:

Don't bother with this one unless you need something to help you get to sleep.

#TheDevilsSleep