Light Sleeper (1992) – Nostalgia Central

Written and directed by Paul Schrader, Light Sleeper is the final film in his trilogy of loners who hate their jobs, following Taxi Driver (1976) and American Gigolo (1980).

When asked about the title of the picture (the first two were named after the character’s occupation), he said he thought no one would watch a film if it were just called Drug Dealer.

40-year-old Manhattan drug courier John LeTour (Willem Dafoe) – the son of a once-prominent New York lawyer – gets his dope from the glamorous Ann (Susan Sarandon), a warm and gracious wife-mother-madonna figure who works with her gay partner Robert (David Clennon) out of a tastefully decorated Upper East Side apartment.

Tour (as everyone calls him) delivers cocaine to hip bars, clubs and restaurants (and to upscale clientele in elegant condominiums when summoned by beeper), and is driven everywhere by a chauffeur. All things considered, it’s not a bad life.

But he has come to a crossroads in his life. He would like to be involved somehow in the music industry, and Ann has announced her retirement from the narcotics trade to move into the legitimate world of herbal cosmetics.

She has not offered him a job in her new company.

He has also been having trouble sleeping, partly because of a busted relationship with a fascinating woman named Marianne (Dana Delaney).

Previously an addict, she has been clean for a few years now that she is away from him.

When he tries to achieve a reconciliation, she backs away, fearful that even a moment in his presence could lead her back to drugs.

John LeTour
Willem Dafoe
Ann
Susan Sarandon
Marianne
Dana Delany
Robert
David Clennon
Teresa
Mary Beth Hurt
Tis
Victor Garber
Randi
Jane Adams
Eddie
Paul Jabara
Guidone
Robert Cicchini
Jealous
Sam Rockwell
Manuel
Rene Raymond Rivera
Hasid
Steven Posen
Carlos
Ken Ladd
Thomas
Brian Judge

Director
Paul Schrader