acidburn-10 I happened to come across this movie when it first came out in my local video shop going back about 10 years ago now, before a time when I was into the internet so at the time I had no clue at where or when the next Dario Argento movie was coming out, that's the main reason why I bought this and I was surprisingly pleased with the result.The plot is quite interesting, an idea of the dwarf murders is certainly interesting and can only be pulled off in Italian horror, but one of my main complaints is that it doesn't quite follow the director's usual flair, but this is still the best movie he's done in a long time. Giallo fans will know that Sleepless follows a fairly well-worn pattern from a storyline perspective. There are a few twists and turns with plenty of murders strewn in among the chaos before the film ultimately climaxes with the revelation of the killer. Argento doesn't do much to separate this one from the giallo pack, but the nursery rhyme aspect is interesting and even a bit demented.The death scenes are fun and very elaborate and the performances are decent as well from the cast, Max Von Sydow is competent and an unexpected presence in this kind of movie and Stefano Dionisi also gives a convincing performance as the male lead.All in all Many say that this is a return to form, and in a way it is but not quite up there with (Deep Red, The Bird In A Cystal Plummage, Suspiria, Tenebrae and Phenomena), but much better than the more recent efforts like (Trauma and Stendal Syndrome).

BA_Harrison Not exactly a return to form for Argento, bur certainly a step in the right direction (after several less-than stellar efforts), Sleepless sees the director plundering his 70s and 80s back catalogue to put together what is probably his most satisfying movie since Opera (1987).Max von Sydow plays Moretti, an ex-detective called out of retirement to help assist in a murder case which is somehow connected to a series of vicious killings that took place seventeen years earlier. Has the ghost of Vincenzo, the thriller writing dwarf who was accused of the original murders, returned from the grave to kill again, or is someone else responsible for the grisly deaths?A complicated, and often nonsensical story (just how us giallo fans like 'em) twists and turns like one of Argento's Louma Crane-mounted cameras, delivering many elements that will be very familiar to avid fans of giallo cinema: a black-leather-glove wearing killer; a dwarf; creepy nursery rhymes; prowling camera-work; a Goblin synth/rock score; a spooky mannequin; passages read aloud from books; visual and aural clues; and spectacularly bloody death scenes (courtesy of Sergio Stivaletti).Of course, this is familiar territory for the director, and the man known as 'the Italian Hitchcock' delights in showing his audience that he still has what it takes to dazzle with his visuals, scare with carefully crafted scenes of terror, and repulse with incredibly visceral special effects (multiple stabbings, finger removal, a touch of face-smashing resulting in broken teeth, a severed head, death via musical instrument, and a marvellous bullet through the head). He also throws in some welcome nudity, and even manages to get his daughter yet another movie credit by using some of her 'poetry' in the film (she is responsible for the dreadful children's rhyme The Death Farm).Sleepless isn't unmissable Argento—but it is well worth a look if you get the chance.7.5 out of 10, rounded up to 8 for IMDb.

Witchfinder General 666 Dario Argento is one of my personal favorite directors, and many of my fellow Horror buffs will agree that the man is one of the all-time Horror greats. Films like "Suspiria" (1977), "Profondo Rosso" (1975) and Phenomena (1985) range among my all-time favorites, and Argento's repertoire includes several other masterpieces of Italian Horror/Giallo, such as "The Bird With The Crystal Plumage" (1970), "Opera"(1987) or "Tenebre"(1982). After several inferior films that he made in the 1990s, such as the decent "Trauma" of 1993 and "Two Evil Eyes" (which he made with fellow Horror-deity George A. Romero in 1990) and the disappointing "Phantom of the Opera", the master returned to his old style - and old greatness - with this "Non Ho Sonno" aka "Sleepless", a tantalizing and ultra-violent Giallo, in 2001. The good-old Giallo premise is still working greatly, and the fact that Argento borrows many elements from his older films does in no way downsize the greatness of "Sleepless". On the contrary, this is the absolute proof for us Italian Horror buffs that great Gialli can still be made in the 21st century.In 1983, young Giacomo has to witness the brutal murder of his mother, who is one of the many victims of a Turin murder series. 17 years later, Turin is struck by a murder-series again, and the horrid crimes seem to resemble those from 1983. Even though he has spent the last 17 years trying to forget, Giacomo (Stefano Dionisi), who has since moved to Rome, decides to come back to Turin. Since the police make little progress, Giacomo and the retired homicide detective Ulisse Moretti (Max Von Sydow), who was working on the cases in 1983, begin to investigate themselves..."Sleepless" brings the old-fashioned Giallo-greatness that we're used to from Argento. A creepy atmosphere, stunning suspense, ultra-bloody murders, an excellent cinematography and especially another ingenious score by Progressive Rock band Goblin - this film delivers all the great elements that we love Argento for. Argento has once stated that this is the most brutal of all his films which is not exactly true. The violence and gore are extreme, no doubt, but films like "Tenebre", "Phenomena" or "Opera" are at least equally violent, if not more. Dario Argento is not exactly known for his tameness when it comes to violence, and this is yet another (immensely stylishly) ultra-brutal Argento experience. As I stated above, Argento uses some elements he has used in his older films - but he does so in an great manner. Elements like a creepy nursery-rhyme are downright ingenious and give this the tantalizing and superb atmosphere that is typical for Argento. An absolute must-see for Horror fans, especially my fellow Argento-enthusiasts can not allow themselves to miss this! Great!

gavin6942 As a child, a young boy named Giacomo witnesses his mother's murder, but cannot see the killer's face. After the killer is presumed dead, he goes on with his life. But years later the killer returns and Giacomo is back in the thick of things: he teams up with a retired detective he met as a boy (played by Max von Sydow) and they track the clues around Turin.Dario Argento consistently delivers films that I consider top-notch. If you look at a list of my reviewed films from highest to lowest ranked, you'll see a cluster of his work right up in the top ten or twenty (which is pretty high considering how many reviews I've done). This is the lowest I've ranked his work yet, and let me be clear about my reasoning: this is not a bad film. On the contrary, it is a very good film (some say the best since "Suspiria", although I would disagree).The primary reason this is ranked lower is because it's largely recycled from Argento's earlier giallo films. Particularly, this film has strong connections to "Bird With the Crystal Plumage" and "Deep Red". You have a protagonist who is connected to a murder and is investigating it, though not actually part of the police. This protagonist gets a strong clue about the killer, but is not able to make out what it is until after examining his memory five or six times (in this case it's a noise he hears the killer make). And, there's at least one red herring: as soon as the killer is caught, it may not be the real killer (again, this one has strong "Plumage" connections).My other problem, and it's relatively minor, is that one of the main characters has the most obnoxious voice. It's a lispy, wheezing, Asian-sounding, high-pitched Michael Jackson voice. I had a hard time believing that anyone really talks like that. But, apart from the voice, the acting and everything else was fine.The three really great things that stand out about this film, other than the usual Argento traits (the great music and scenery, for example) are the use of space, increased violence and the switch-up of main characters. The space issue is best shown early on in a scene on a train, which I think is what this film is most known for now (with good reason). A young woman must hide from a killer on a moving train -- putting her and the camera in a confined space. This really accelerates the terror, as we feel with her that there's literally no where to run.The increased gore and violence is noticeably. In newer films (such as "Pelts" and "Jenifer") Argento really lets the gore out, but in earlier works it is more mellow and implied. Even in the really violent scenes from the 1970s, it's quick and not very disturbing. This film, with its finger-hacking and English horn choking, really creates the bridge between the 1970s Argento and the 2000s Argento.Lastly, the characters switching is a nice touch. We don't establish who the main character is until maybe twenty minutes or more into the film. Following the path of the killer's notebook, we see who finds it and how it gets from point A to point B. But the notebook is not a main focus of the film, nor are the people who carry it. Like the red carpet later on, it just serves as a guide for the camera. (There is some question of how the killer is able to move around on the train and elsewhere so quickly, but we won't worry about that here.) As with all other Argento, I bring this one to you with the highest recommendation. Great plot (actually better than much of his work), great gore, great characters and great music. His best camera work in a long time, and a higher quality filming process (Italy is usually years behind America in film quality -- this is an exception). On your next sleepless night, pick up "Sleepless". It's a winner.