Recluse Smith is drawn into a revolutionary struggle between guerrillas and right-wingers in New Zealand. Implicated in a murder and framed as a revolutionary conspirator, Smith tries to maintain an attitude of non-violence while caught between warring factions.
Sleeping Dogs is a 1977 New Zealand action thriller film directed by Roger Donaldson. It is based on the book Smith's Dream by C.K. Stead, and is notable for being the first feature-length 35 mm film produced entirely in New Zealand. The film stars Sam Neill, Clyde Scott, and Warren Oates. It was a major success critically and commercially, and launched the career of Sam Neill.
