Thirty years later, Sleepers is a definitive part of a genre that seems to be dying in Hollywood. Directed by Barry Levinson and adapted from Lorenzo Carcaterra’s book, the 1996 crime drama moved between coming-of-age heartbreak, prison trauma, revenge, and courtroom tension with a confidence that now feels strangely rare. It was serious without being self-important, starry without feeling like stunt casting, and mature without ever sounding like it was apologizing for that. Watching it now, it’s hard not to feel like it came from a version of Hollywood that was far more willing to back difficult stories aimed at adults.