Schlafende Hunde

Sleeping Dogs is a 1977 New Zealand dramatic action-thriller film, based on the book Smith's Dream by C. K. Stead, directed by Roger Donaldson, and produced by Donaldson and Larry Parr.[1] Featuring Sam Neill, Clyde Scott, and Warren Oates, it is notable for being the first feature-length 35 mm film produced entirely in New Zealand.[citation needed ] The film was a major success critically and commercially, and launched the career of Sam Neill, who later went on to do international works such as Jurassic Park, The Piano, Hunt for The Wilderpeople, and Peaky Blinders.

A political thriller with action film elements, it follows the lead 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 cinema in the country, helping to change New Zealand cinema from small, melodramatic, derivative films to the modern reels that make the country known in the industry today.[2][1]