Sleeping Dogs

Film (Trailer and Excerpts) – 1977

Parental Guidance

Smith (Sam Neill, in his breakthrough screen role) is devastated when his wife runs off with his best friend Bullen (Ian Mune). Smith escapes to the Coromandel. Meanwhile, the government enlists an anti-terrorist force to crack down on its opponents. Bullen, now a guerrilla, asks Smith to join the revolution. Directed by Roger Donaldson, this adaptation of CK Stead novel Smith's Dream heralded a new wave of Kiwi cinema. It was one of the only Kiwi films of the 1970s to win a big local audience. This excerpt includes a much discussed scene: a baton charge by government forces, predating the real life conflicts of the 1981 Springbok tour.

[Sleeping Dogs] almost single-handedly created a climate of acceptance within the country for a Kiwi film industry.
– Jonathan Dowling looks back at the film's impact, The Evening Post, 27 February 1988