Sleeping Dogs (1977 film)

Sleeping Dogs
Film poster
Directed by	Roger Donaldson
Written by	Ian Mune Arthur Baysting
Produced by	Roger Donaldson Larry Parr
Starring	Sam Neill Nevan Rowe Ian Mune Ian Watkin Warren Oates
Cinematography	Michael Seresin
Edited by	Ian John
Music by	Mathew Brown David Calder Murray Grindlay
Production companies	Aardvark Films Broadbank Films
Distributed by	Satori (United States)
Release date	13 July 1977 (1977-07-13) (Australia)
Running time	107 minutes
Country	New Zealand
Language	English
Box office	$450,000 (New Zealand)[1]

Sleeping Dogs is a 1977 New Zealand action thriller film directed by Roger Donaldson, who also produced with Larry Parr. The film is based on the book Smith's Dream by C.K. Stead.^[2] The film stars Sam Neill, Clyde Scott, and Warren Oates, it is notable for being the first feature-length 35 mm film produced entirely in New Zealand.^[3] The film was a major success critically and commercially, and launched the career of Sam Neill.

A political thriller with action film elements, it follows the lead man alone character "Smith" (Neill) as New Zealand plunges into a police state as a fascist government institutes martial law after industrial disputes flare into violence. Smith gets caught between the special police and a growing resistance movement, and reluctantly becomes involved. Often named one of the best New Zealand films of all time, it is considered a classic and a landmark in the new wave of New Zealand cinema that flourished in the 1970s and 80s.^[4][2]