“I just don’t feel it.” These are the lyrics to the song “Disappear” by Dangermaker that repeatedly blare over the end credits to Antonia Bogdanovich’s 2022 neo noir “Sleep No More,” and they accurately describe how I feel about the film.

I was intrigued by the idea of a Shakespearean neo noir as those are two of my favorite film subgenres, but unfortunately, “Sleep No More” lacks depth to pull either one off very well.

Brothers Samuel (Thomas Brodie-Sangster) and Beckett (Luke Kleintank) have turned to a life of crime that in turn winds up funding their abusive alcoholic father’s gambling. Their father, Warren (Sebastian Roché), is a washed up actor, and one of their grifts involves the young Samuel reciting Shakespearean monologues to captivated crowds while big brother Beckett pickpockets them.

This clever, sleek start to the film drew me in, but the next hour or so gave me a lot to tune out from. Beckett gets involved with a counterfeit ring through an old friend, Little Larry (Jordan Dunn), and starts an affair with his counterfeiter buddy’s mom, played by Rebecca Romijn.

If you’ve seen Bogdanovich’s 2014 film “Phantom Halo” and this plot sounds familiar, that’s because this is a director’s cut of that film that is getting rereleased this summer under the new title, “Sleep No More.”

I will admit “Phantom Halo” flew under my radar, and while that grifty opening and some momentary beautiful black and white cinematography set to Shakespeare were big selling points for me on “Sleep No More,” maybe it would’ve just been best if this movie was left in the rear view mirror.

The film feels miscast, with none of the leads I mentioned above giving particularly memorable performances. The plot is predictable, and while the moments of Shakespearean dialogue interspersed throughout the movie may sound intriguing, it ultimately gets a little exhausting as they switch back and forth with how normal people talked in a 2014 neo noir setting.

I think there is some potential here, and I would like to see what the younger Bogdanovich (she is the daughter of legendary filmmaker Peter Bogdanovich) does with a new story. IMDb says she has two films, “The Rabbit Will Die” and “Tangiers by Friday,” in pre-production. Hopefully having all of this experience with her first feature has given her the opportunity to sharpen her skills and share something a little more memorable in those films.

Rating: 2/5