while Tommy is ambushed and murdered by rival criminals. Carol remains in Hell's Kitchen as a social worker; she has a son, naming him John Thomas Michael Martinez, with the nickname "Shakes". Cast Billy Crudup as Thomas “Tommy” Marcano Jonathan Tucker as Young Tommy Marcano Ron Eldard as John Riley Geoffrey Wigdor as Young John Riley Jason Patric as Lorenzo 'Shakes' Carcaterra Joe Perrino as Young Shakes Brad Pitt as Michael Sullivan Brad Renfro as Young Michael Sullivan Kevin Bacon as Sean Nokes Robert De Niro as Father Robert “Bobby” Carillo Minnie Driver as Carol Martinez Monica Polito as Young Carol Martinez Vittorio Gassman as Benny 'King Benny' Dustin Hoffman as Danny Snyder Terry Kinney as Ralph Ferguson Peter McRobbie as lawyer Bruno Kirby as Shakes' father Frank Medrano as 'Fat' Mancho Eugene Byrd as Rizzo Robinson Jeffrey Donovan as Henry Addison Wendell Pierce as Eddie 'Little Caesar' Robinson Aida Turturro as Mrs. Salinas Dash Mihok as K.C. Angela Rago as Shakes' mother John Slattery as Mr. Carlson Production The first words spoken in the film are: "This is a true story about friendship that runs deeper than blood". However, the truthfulness and factual accuracy of the film—and the book upon which it is based—were challenged by the Sacred Heart of Jesus Church and School in Manhattan (the school attended by Lorenzo Carcaterra) and by the Manhattan District Attorney's office, among others. Carcaterra has acknowledged that most details in the book were fictionalized, but maintained that the events described in the book actually occurred. Release Box office In its opening weekend the film grossed $12.3 million from 1,915 theaters in the United States and Canada, debuting atop of the box office. Sleepers grossed $53.3 million domestically and $112.3 million internationally, for a worldwide total of $165.6 million. Critical response On Rotten Tomatoes the film holds an approval approval rating of 73% based on 56 reviews, with an average rating of 6.60/10. The site's critics consensus reads: "Old friendships are awakened by the need for revenge, making Sleepers a haunting nightmare burdened by voiceover yet terrifically captured by Barry Levinson." Metacritic assigned the film a weighted average score of 49 out of 100 based on 18 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A−" on an A+ to F scale. Critics praised the performances of De Niro, Hoffman, Bacon, and the