Back in 1996 I was truly taken in by Barry Levinson’s Sleepers, adapted from Lorenzo
Carcaterra’s allegedly autobiographical novel relating his experiences as a boy
growing up in the Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood of Manhattan, becoming the victim
of terrible physical and sexual abuse at a boys’ reform school, and the revenge
he and his friends exacted upon their tormentors as adults years later. When
the book was published and then later when the film was released, there were
many who questioned the validity of the story. There is no independent record
of any of the events described. Of course juvenile records are expunged and
Carcaterra claims he changed locations, which offers reasonable explanations as
to why journalists were unable to unearth any court records similar to what
takes place in the second half of the story. Just looking at it in terms of
sheer believability, the first half involving Carcaterra (his character goes by
the nickname Shakes) and his three best friends as adolescents is selling
something so much easier to swallow than the revenge-filled latter half.
