John LeTour is a recovering drug user who suffers insomnia and still deals to a high-end New York clientele, even though he’s trying to move on from the business. John’s professional midlife crisis becomes something more acute — and dangerous — when he re-encounters an old flame while a string of seemingly drug-related murders rocks the city.
Acting
Dafoe's whispered desperation, Sarandon's cool mortality.
Cinematography
Neon-drenched Manhattan as purgatory, not paradise.
Score
Michael Been's mournful tracks haunt every frame.
Director
Paul Schrader
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Schrader wrote this during his own recovery, making it a spiritual sequel to 'American Gigolo' and 'Taxi Driver'—his 'man in a room' trilogy.
The insomnia isn't literal; John's awake because he can't face what sleep (and dreams) might reveal about his empty redemption arc.
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