Film

Sleepless

Name: Sleepless
Genre: Action, Crime, Thriller
Released: 2017
Cast: Jamie Foxx, Michelle Monaghan, Dermot Mulroney, Scoot McNairy, David Harbour

Crime
Action
Thriller
Relentless

A Las Vegas cop caught between corrupt colleagues and the mob tries to save his kidnapped son in a single night. It's a tense, propulsive thriller that doesn't pretend to be anything more than a series of escalating chases and standoffs. Jamie Foxx carries it with charisma and genuine exhaustion. For viewers who want stakes, speed, and no time wasted on exposition.

TMDb rating

3.0

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Training Day2001

Denzel Washington as a corrupt cop is magnetic and terrifying. Like Sleepless, it traps its protagonist in a moral maze with no clean exit, and the tension comes from watching him realize how deep the rot goes.

But It's slower and more psychologically complex than Sleepless. If you're here for pure adrenaline, the first hour might feel like setup.

The Raid2012

One man against a building full of enemies in real time. The action is balletic and brutal, and it never stops moving. Like Sleepless, it's a simple setup executed with relentless momentum.

But It's Indonesian, with subtitles. The violence is graphic and repetitive—the whole film is basically one long fight.

Drive2011

A getaway driver pulled into a job that spirals into chaos and bloodshed. The pacing and control are masterful; it builds dread rather than just noise. Both films understand that real danger feels different from movie danger.

But It's much quieter and more stylized than Sleepless. Long silences. If you want constant dialogue and forward momentum, this will feel slow.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Sleepless

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Nightcrawler2014

Both are single-night descents into the Los Angeles underworld, but where Sleepless is about a man trying to save his son, Nightcrawler is about a man with nothing to lose choosing to become a monster.

Jake Gyllenhaal as a freelance videographer chasing crime scenes at night in Los Angeles. It's a thriller about desperation and moral decay, with the same nocturnal Los Angeles setting and moral abyss, but from a completely different angle. The tension builds from character, not plot.

But It's a character study, not an action film. Gyllenhaal's performance is unsettling in ways that some find more disturbing than entertaining. It's slow-burn and patient.

Collateral2004

Tom Cruise and Jamie Foxx, one night in Los Angeles, one man trying to survive. Taut, intelligent, and genuinely unpredictable. The cat-and-mouse dynamic has real weight.

But It's a talking picture, heavy on character. The action sequences are sparse compared to Sleepless.

Contraband2012

Mark Wahlberg doing a heist that goes wrong, forced to navigate both criminals and cops. Crisp, efficient, and fun. It has the same scrappy, no-frills energy as Sleepless.

But The plot is pretty standard and the dialogue is forgettable. It's competent rather than inspired.

Den of Thieves2018

A corrupt sheriff and a bank robber in a tense standoff. It has genuine suspense and some clever twists. Both films understand that the best crime stories are about people pushed past their limits.

But The writing is heavy-handed and the pacing stumbles in the second half. It tries to be smarter than it actually is.

Brick2006

A teenager investigating a murder in suburban high school, using noir tropes. It's witty and inventive, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt carries it with real presence. Both films use familiar genre beats in unexpected ways.

But It's deliberately artificial and stylized. Some find it clever; others find it try-hard and tedious.

Extreme Prejudice1987

Walter Matthau and Powers Boothe as lawmen on opposite sides of the Rio Grande. It's a brutal, efficient 1980s thriller with real stakes. The action is quick and consequential.

But It's dated and the plot is convoluted. The ending is abrupt and may feel unsatisfying.

Violent Saturday1955

A small town, a bank robbery, ordinary people caught in danger. It's tense and human-scaled. Like Sleepless, it's about desperation and the thin line between safety and chaos.

But It's from 1955 and shot in Technicolor. The pacing is measured and the violence is implied rather than shown. Very much a product of its era.

Thief1981

Both are about men caught between the criminal world and a life they're trying to protect, forced to operate at night in a morally compromised city.

Michael Mann's masterpiece about a professional thief trying to go straight, pulled back in by the mob. The heist planning is intricate and the night scenes are gorgeously lit. It has real melancholy underneath the action—a man trying to escape a life that won't let him.

But It's slow and meditative. The 1981 aesthetic won't be for everyone. There's a tragic inevitability that makes it bleak.