Where Sleeping Dogs Lie is the kind of film that looks like it should be memorable but under its stylish surface, it's actually dead on arrival.

Bruce Simmons (Dylan McDermott) is a struggling writer in L.A., particularly down on his luck as the opening of the film finds him facing rejection and eviction from his apartment. He shacks up in an abandoned house that turns out to be the site of the "Carrol" murders, a legendary Hollywood crime story. Meanwhile, Bruce tries to pitch various screenplay ideas to his bitchy agent Serena Black (Sharon Stone), but he just can't quite find the right idea. He's soon drawn into the mystery of the house and after entering freak-out mode, starts writing about the murders. He rents a room in his stolen home to a faltering young man named Eddie Hale (Tom Sizemore) who will remind you of Herbert West from Re-Animator or Norman Bates from Psycho. As Bruce gets more and more obsessed by the subject of his book, it becomes clear that Eddie is hiding a strange secret.

Where Sleeping Dogs Lie isn't exactly a bad film. It's rather slickly edited, and the cinematography has a creepy noir style. The acting is perfectly acceptable. McDermott does a nice "crazy" without totally stepping into camp. Sizemore is fun to watch in a role that would otherwise seem wrong for him. Stone is merely okay but still entertaining to watch. The problem may be that the film has a seen-it-all-before sheen, which impedes the film's desire to be suspenseful. It's very slow-going, particularly at the start, and I can see that it's going for a certain mood, but that mood just doesn't hold. As the film grinds on, it requires increasing suspension of disbelief, and at a certain point, you tire of giving it.

Columbia TriStar presents Where Sleeping Dogs Lie in a not-bad anamorphic-widescreen presentation of the film's original 1.85:1 theatrical presentation. Although the film has a soft look, detail is acceptable. However, there appears to be a haze over the proceedings, a slightly washed-out look. Colors are rich but look smeared in places, particularly reds. The print itself is quite clean, free of dirt and scratches. Blacks aren't particularly deep, and shadow detail is wanting.

The DVD contains a Dolby Digital 2.0 track that has a nice depth to it. Dialog is clear if a tad tinny, and I noticed some distortion at the high end. For a 2.0 track, the soundtrack is surprisingly enveloping. The score comes across nicely, and the low end adds to a feeling of depth.

All you get are Trailers for Where Sleeping Dogs Lie, Enough, and Panic Room.

If you're fans of any of the three lead actors, you might find some value in this movie. Otherwise, you've seen the type of story done better in other films.