Insomnia Movie
Storyline
TAGLINES
Days never end. Nightmares are real. No one is innocent.
Don't close your eyes.
A tough cop. A brilliant killer. An unspeakable crime.
Sent from the city to investigate the murder of a teenage girl in a small Alaska town, a police detective (Pacino) accidentally shoots his own partner while trying to apprehend a suspect. Instead of admitting his guilt, the detective is given an unexpected alibi, but this "solution" only multiplies the emotional complexity and guilt over his partner's death. He's also still got a murder to solve, in addition to the blackmail and framing of an innocent bystander being orchestrated by the man they were chasing. There's also a local detective (Swank) who is conducting her own personal investigation... of his partner's death. Will it all come crashing down on him?
| Al Pacino | Detective Will Dormer |
| Martin Donovan | Detective Hap Eckhart |
| Robin Williams | Walter Finch |
| Oliver 'Ole' Zemen | Pilot |
| Hilary Swank | Detective Ellie Burr |
| Paul Dooley | Chief Charlie Nyback |
| Nicky Katt | Fred Duggar |
| Larry Holden | Farrell |
| Jay Brazeau | Francis |
| Lorne Cardinal | Rich |
| James Hutson | Officer #1 |
| Andrew Campbell | Officer #2 |
| Paula Shaw | Coroner |
| Crystal Lowe | Kay Connell |
| Tasha Simms | Mrs. Connell |
| Christopher Nolan |
7.20 out of 10 (50097 votes)
Visitor Reviews
One hour too long
posted on 24 Aug 2009Once I got used to Pacino's "on again, off again" southern (?) accent, I realized that this could have been a good "Law and Order" episode. Hilariously miscast, the two aging protagonists argue their philosophical differences with their hands around each other's throat. I'm sure that most of their wheezing and panting ended up on the cutting-room floor. The dog in the alley was the most realistic character and best represented the theme of this movie.
I'm surprised this was released in the summertime.
posted on 20 Aug 2009This was a wonderful remake. Nolan is a master. I think the general public missed the main theme of the film though. It is about guilt and how that effects our desicions. I would love to see Williams in more edgy roles in the furture.
Surpasses the original
posted on 20 Aug 2009Far more interesting than the norwegian original, Insomnia confirms Nolan as the best emerging director in the american cinema.A pair of key scenes as the jumping of drifting logs are original of the new version and the character developing surpasses the somehow unidimensional roles of the norwegian one, like the officer played by Hillary Swank and the hotel clerk with a dubious past.Al Pacino's character reaches in the remake a new dimension, not only because of the relationship with his partner in the light of the investigation that takes place over his activities, but also because of the perfect construction of his drama, that makes his sleep inability work both in a literal and methaphorical level.The audacious premise of creating the noirest of films in a place that never gets dark works as effectively as the solid formal narrative of `Memento'. Nolan pushes the limits once more here and maybe the fact that Insomnia inserts itself into very defined genre territory makes it even more outstanding in its achievement.
Most overhyped movie of the year
posted on 18 Aug 2009After trailers extolling the prizes awarded to the actors and declaring it the movie of the year the last thing i was expecting was an average movie. I also wasnt expecting Robin Williams to be so bad, misreading his character so completely and at times obviously reading from an autocue, harsh yes but true. This movie provided no tension with stuff happening constantly just when they needed to happen to move the plot forward. An obvious ending appeared tacked on for some action only. Avoid if you dont want to fall asleep.
BEST FILM OF 2002 THUS FAR
posted on 08 Aug 2009I watch a lot of movies. This is the best well-done so far, and few will be able to come close. I loved Memento, so I know I had to go see this and see the magic that Christopher Nolan weaves. If I ran the Academy, this movie must win at least one award. I would give Best Picture with Best Director going to Peter Jackson for Lord of the Rings, the Two Towers. This is good on all fronts. An excellent script. A great crime drama, with a great "ah ha" moment. Oscar-worthy performances from Pacino and Williams, and a strong performance by Hillary Swank. They all give real performances, not the typical supercop type stuff. This film is also very beautifully shot. The backgrounds and landscape photography are breathtaking. Add on top of that a score that perfectly compliments the tone of the movie, and you have all the ingredients of a masterpiece. The film is so well directed. Nolan does a good job keeping the tension up throughout the movie all the way to the climax. Do yourself a favor and watch this movie.
Outstanding Performance by Pacino
posted on 06 Aug 2009The breathtaking beauty of a remote area of Alaska provides the setting for this film, and the natural splendor of the surroundings offers a thought provoking contrast between the serenity of the landscape and the ugliness visited upon it by one of it's inhabitants. In the thriller `Insomnia,' director Christopher Nolan examines the myriad faces of evil and the far-reaching effects of wrongdoing, whether perpetrated straightforwardly as a heinous crime, or in the ill conceived notion of subverting the law in a quest for justice. But he also looks beyond the objectivity of premeditation at how certain physical variables can subjectively affect the psychological aspects of the duplicity. Specifically, what happens to the body-- and especially to the mind-- when deprived of sleep for an extended period of time. And especially when it comes at a critical juncture; at a time when, above all else, the mind must be absolutely clear and sharp, when judgments must be passed and decisions made. Can a web of deceit, woven amid a struggle between the mind and the body, stand fast? And if so, for how long? How long can one prevail against the proclivities of human nature, in a place where the sun never sets, and the mind cannot find rest. L.A. detective Will Dormer (Al Pacino), and his partner, Hap Eckhart (Martin Donovan), have been given a special assignment: The investigation of the murder of a seventeen-year-old girl in the small town of Nightmute, Alaska. Their detail comes on the heels of a certain internal affairs investigation currently being conducted within the L.A.P.D., which may involve the high-profile Dormer, a good cop who has been putting away the bad guys for more years than he can remember. And if the I.A. affair goes south, some criminals Dormer has been instrumental in convicting may see freedom. So the change of venue for the detectives comes at an auspicious time; sometimes distance can be a good thing. Dormer goes into the case with the confidence provided him by years on the job. He is lucid, and on top of things immediately. What he finds in Nightmute, however, is a killer who is not only meticulous, but who has a wild card up his sleeve and begins to play it not long after Dormer hits town. It's the time of year when the sun never sets, and the killer realizes that it is going to affect Dormer's sleep, and subsequently, his perceptions and actions. And he's determined to help the situation along with some untimely phone calls and some well chosen words. Dormer's onto the game immediately, but after a couple of days of sleeplessness, his mental faculties begin to deteriorate, and it leads to a situation involving Eckhart that puts an entirely new spin on the matters at hand. Things get sticky, and Dormer's judgment becomes questionable. He struggles to keep himself together, because he knows one thing for certain: The killer has crossed a line from which there is no return, and he's going to kill again.
And it's up to Dormer to stop him before it happens. As with his previous effort, `Memento,' Christopher Nolan has crafted and delivered a film that is emotionally stirring and initially, at least, devoid of any absolutes (or if there are any, they are soon lost in Dormer's sleeplessness induced mental haze), to which he adds a moral dilemma that makes it all entirely involving and which successfully draws the audience into the action as the story unfolds. it becomes an incisive character study that affords you Dormer's perspective while allowing you to experience his situation seemingly first hand. Nolan gradually takes you from the rational thought processes that to Dormer are the norm, to the murky regions of the ambiguous into which he descends as the sleeplessness overcomes and overwhelms him. And the fact that Dormer's impaired mental state is so significant-- inasmuch as the direction it takes the story-- makes this a rather unique film; it's an interesting angle, and quite different from the usual considerations offered by the typical crime/thriller/drama. Most importantly, Nolan knows how to present it effectively, and builds the tension in direct proportion to Dormer's descent, which maintains that necessary edge right up to the climax. By the end of the film, Pacino/Dormer really looks as though he hasn't slept in days; it's a critical aspect of the story, upon which the credibility of the film depends, and which it achieves, without question.
Some credit has to go to the make-up provided by Gitte Axen, but ultimately, what makes this film so convincing-- and such an unqualified success-- is Al Pacino's performance. As he demonstrates here, he is arguably one of the top two leading actors in the business (the other being De Niro). He has the ability to create a completely new character with every new film, and he's always convincing, whether taking it over-the-top (Tony Montana, `Scarface'; Vincent Hanna, `Heat'), using a more introspective approach (Michael Corleone, `The Godfather') or finding the necessary reserve that fits a particular character and makes him believable (as he does here with Will Dormer). This is a studied portrayal, presented in subtle shadings and tone, and one that should easily earn him an Oscar nomination. Turning in a solid performance, also, is Robin Williams, who seems to be taking a page out of Pacino's book by finding the kind of restraint he needed to make his character work. Williams has played a variety of roles in his career, but never has he played so against type as his portrayal of Walter Finch in this film; and he does it well. He's entirely convincing-- his Finch is very real and disquietingly believable, in that his outward appearance is so normal, while in reality he is capable of deeds most vile.
His true nature is undetectable, and as such, he's your worst nightmare. It makes Dormer's conundrum even more pronounced, and helps to make `Insomnia' a riveting and thoroughly engrossing film. 9/10.
A well written and directed movie though not original
posted on 02 Aug 2009The entire movie is set in the Alaskan backdrop, beautiful mountains and wild nature. Though the movie starts off slow with the murder investigation from LA special cops, it picks up a small pace later. This is not a murder mystery so it is not so nail biting or edge of the seat drama. What I found intriguing was to fit in the three characters played by the wonderful actors namely Al Pacino, Robbin Williams and Hillary Swank. At the end the movie concludes with the usual drama of good guy and bad guy demarcation, I wonder if the author really intended to end the movie this way, it is subtly titled Insomnia. Director is Christopher Nolan (Memento fame) - not really required to accredit to this but couldn't hurt either. The story says it all.
Brilliant acting, why not twist the story?
posted on 29 Jul 2009The first thing that I wondered when I left the theater this afternoon, and probably the only thing that hasn't already been said well, is that the storytelling lacked the brilliant twist of Memento, that is getting us inside the character's head through telling it backwards in ten-minute snippets. That was weird, but it worked perfectly for creating the sympathy needed to get into Leonard Shelby. So what I thought immediately after seeing this flick is we need to be inside the head of Walter Finch, not Will Dormer. If these guys really want to play up the moral ambiguity at the heart of the film, the questions about what is murder and when, we should start at the beginning: make Finch the protagonist and Dormer the adversary. After all, that's how he would see himself right? I mean, John Gammell could easily see through Leonard Shelby, just like Dormer can see through Finch. So why not follow the guy who doesn't get it? Have Finch, this guy who thinks he's committed no crime and thinks he can help out a cop who's made a mistake of his own, be our hero until the ending when the curtain is pulled up and Finch finally sees the light, just briefly. The film is magnificently shot, edited, acted all around, and don't get me wrong, Pacino plays his character brilliantly. But we have seen this kind of guy before. I wish the story itself had been as unconventional as Memento managed to be. If you haven't seen Memento and you liked this...run to the video store NOW. One last question - Insomnia's score is by the same guy as Memento, but it doesn't have the same effect. Am I the only one who's still haunted by the synthesized music from that movie?
Kept me wide awake
posted on 23 Jul 2009This is the first decent film I've seen in a while and just felt the need to comment. I saw the original foreign version of this a couple of years back and enjoyed it, and I think they did a good job of translating it into a solid American movie. Definite Hollywood budget, but with at least a bit of an independent/art feel. Many scenes seemed to be lifted note for note from the original, and I have no problem with that.Pacino already has the look of someone who has been up for days, and he's got the cop thing down to a science. Based on the trailers I was a bit afraid that Williams wouldn't be able to pull off his part, but I was fine with it, and Swank has a good supporting role.We need more like this and less of the Sum of all Fears crap that Hollywood spews out.
one of the best films I've seen in a long time
posted on 23 Jul 2009Almost to the point of rivaling Christopher Nolan's other great film, "Memento." Everything just works. The score, the dialouge, the beautiful, beautiful cinematography, and everything is incredibly tense. Nolan is now one of my favorite directors.
Insomnia gets to us !
posted on 23 Jul 2009Now the problem is you ve got Pacino, Williams and Nolan so it must be a good movie. The movie made 26 million dollars in its opening week but soon disappeared from the box office. Some Critics found this movie just as a good re make of the original movie, some found the norwegian movie better and a lot critisized Robin Williams for playing the role of a killer which i don't buy.The main story and script is good, director Nolan did good in his second movie.Talented David Julyan composer of Memento also composed Insomnia. The photoghraphy is also spectacular, a lot of good sequences in the movie. Hillary Swank is lovely in her role. Williams delivers the role as it is, does not add that more to his legacy. As for Pacino, he is in good shape and i liked a lot of his dialoges throughout the film, but not his finest work yet. If you watch this movie and live with the story and enjoy Nolan as he directs this movie you are going to like it, if you are going to judge the movie with regards to the actors, well thats up to you. I personally enjoyed every minute of it.
Misses the mark somewhat, but a not bad film with Robin Williams shining.
posted on 23 Jul 2009Well, I was unsure about this when I went to see it. When Robin Williams is billed next to Al Pacino, it's very difficult to decide if it's going to work out. However, the concept had me intrigued. The film starts off well, and the tension that Pacino creates with his partner is very tangible, this part of the film is where he really gets something to act with. However, I couldn't help but feel, as the film progressed, it was relying on his weary features to produce the look of an insomniac, rather than his true acting abilities. A few brief moments with the rookie Alaskan cop shows there's still something there, but I think it was the story that confined his acting rather than his acting confining the story.Robin Williams, however, puts in a wonderful performance. I couldn't see him in this role and I was convinced I'd be thinking about his comic runs. Not once, well maybe not true, but I only thought of them in retrospect. I was totally absorbed by his performance, and you almost are in a dilemma over his situation. He should get more serious roles out of this.The rest of the cast acts well, but I'm afraid that this may be another case of a Hollywood film ruining a good foreign film, although I have yet to see the original. The suspense is dampened throughout the second half, and I can't quite put my finger on why. Perhaps we are told too much and shown too much in the first half, and you know everything that is going on and why at every turn. Although it is billed that you will be torn as to what is wrong and right, this lasted for a mere instant, as the rights are so obviously more right than the wrongs. I think this is mainly due to the fact that the wrongs are all you are shown and what is played on, and too much of the character in the right is explained from a sympathetic point from the beginning.Right, enough of this essay. It's a pretty good film, and I know people who really enjoyed it, but unfortunately I feel it failed to project that blurring of wrong and right, and the suspense you would have expected.
Once is not enough!
posted on 21 Jul 2009Christopher Nolan's "Insomnia" is so good, so full of intriguing detail, that I found it even more enjoyable on second viewing than on the first. The direction is first-rate, and the acting, especially Pacino's, is generally better than good. The really good news about "Insomnia" is that it's at least as good as, and arguably better than, the original film on which it's based. This isn't always the case when Hollywood re-makes a "foreign-language" film for the big screen and the big names.There are several good reasons for the artistic success of "Insomnia" (2002). First, is the choice of Christopher Nolan as director. The man really does know how to use his camera and his actors: clearly, his "Memento" of two years ago was no flash-in-the-pan success. Another reason for the film's success is that the screenplay was written by Nikolaj Frobenius and Erik Skjoldbjærg, who also wrote the 1997 Norwegian original. (Skjoldbjærg also directed the original.) I can only speculate on their feelings about having the opportunity to re-do their own fine film, to expand on the original concept, take it to a new setting, broaden the characters, and fill in some of the blanks in the story.Although the two versions of "Insomnia" are different in many ways, the basic plot outline is the same. A young woman is murdered, her body cleaned of all useful forensic evidence - except that the very cleaning is evidence of a kind - and left on a rubbish heap. A famous police detective is brought in from the south to assist the "locals" in solving the crime: from Los Angeles to Alaska in the current film; from Sweden to northern Norway in the original. In both cases, the locale is in the far north, in the summer, when the sun never sets. The southerner finds the continuous daylight disorientating, with night turned into day, and his sleep patterns are disrupted - hence the film's title.In the course of the investigation, during a stake-out gone wrong, the famous detective shoots and kills his partner, and then attempts to pin the killing on the young woman's murderer, through manipulation of the physical evidence. In each case, the rest of the film is an exploration of the detective's sense of guilt, his bizarre relationship with the murderer, who has witnessed the shooting, and his increasing instability from lack of sleep.The back-stories of the two films are very different. Detective Will Dormer (Pacino) arrives in Alaska with a lot more baggage than can be carried by hand. He's fabricated evidence in a gruesome abduction/murder case, and he's under investigation by Internal Affairs. His partner, Hap Eckhart (Martin Donovan) is about to cut a deal with I.A. to protect his own career. This provides the necessary tension between the two men to make the apparently accidental shooting suspect, not only in the viewer's mind, but also in Dormer's. In the original film, detective Jonas Engström (Stellan Skarsgård) also has a blot on his record, but there appears to be no I.A. investigation (or whatever the Swedish equivalent might be), and thus no real tension between the two detectives, beyond the fact that detective Erik Vik (Sverre Anker Ousdal), a much older man, is a bit of a plodder, cut from smoother cloth than Engström.The principal supporting role, that of the local female detective is also very different in the two films. In the current version, detective Ellie Burr (Swank) almost fawns over Dormer, and that characterisation creaked a little for me. Burr declares she has read all of Dormer's cases (how likely is that, really, since it appears that Dormer has been an L.A. detective for about 30 years?), and made a detailed study of one of his major cases during her stint at "the academy". In the original film, detective Hilde Hagen (Gisken Armand) is a seasoned, tough professional, who suffers no burden of hero-worship. For me that characterisation worked better. Happily, Swank's character grows as the film develops.I have mixed feelings about Robin Williams's role, possibly because it's a new take for him. (Which is all to the good: some of Williams's sentimental past performances require dangerously high doses of Gravol to sit through.) I thought that his character had rather too much to say for a demented killer, and in some scenes he was, as the English would say, "too clever by half". Overall, I would give his performance one-and-three-quarters thumbs up. I will say, however, that I liked the original - Bjørn Floberg as the killer/writer Jon Holt - better. His characterisation had an edge, and a dangerous quality, that the Williams character lacked.One cannot say too much about Al Pacino's performance as Will Dormer. One review I read declared that the essence of the film is written on Pacino's rugged and wasted countenance. And that's true enough, but the greatest quality of his performance is in his eyes, in the depths of pain lodged in remembrance, the aspect of a decent man who has seen so much that he has, in his own last words, "lost his way". It's a brilliant turn. Pacino works the part for every nuance that it has, and then some.Skarsgård's take on detective Jonas Engström lacks the bravura quality of Pacino's Dormer. His character is less dramatic, more mundane, and the script gives the actor fewer opportunities for the "big scene". We never learn enough about him to have much reason to develop sympathy for his situation. The role is a great challenge, therefore, and Skarsgård does very well with it.Final note. "Insomnia" is beautifully filmed, the scenery rugged and spectacular. Those viewers who waited for the final credits to roll by will have discovered that the film, with the exception of the aerial footage of the ice fields at the start, was shot not in Alaska but in northern British Columbia. As a Canadian, that gave me added pleasure in this very fine film.
Plug and Chug ***spoilers ahoy!***
posted on 19 Jul 2009***This contains spoilers and foul language, viewer discretion is advised***Plug and Chug.How quaint. Finally at the end of a movie with big stars and apparent backing and the studio's blessing to go forth and be a bit artsy, the Hero dies. Unfortunately, the movie is a remake of a film where the great thing about the ending is that the hero DOESN'T die. Christopher Nolan makes a case that `Memento' was just a fluke. That's pretty ironic, considering that I found `Memento' a step down from his conceptually superior if less stylish debut, `Following." In "Memento" there is a whole thing with Carrie-Anne Moss sending Guy Pearce after her ex-boyfriend. It leads nowhere and leaves the spectator feeling justifiably cheated. The worst thing about it is the superiority underlying, the feeling that he was just going to catch your attention with the birdie while he took your wallet, that you weren't going to notice that he didn't put in the time to tie this thing that takes up about 15 minutes of the movie to any sort of thematic arc, that you're being had, that Nolan is pretending to respect you, pretending that you can divide decimals in your head but really he doubts your simple addition. Again in "Insomnia" he pretends he's giving us the credit to make up our own minds. When people hear a movie they like is being remade with big names the oldest cliché is that they will futz with the ending, and "Insomnia" is the cliché-maker's dream come true, the ULTIMATE in Hollywood obvious sell-out endings. We even have the sweeping music and the cradled head and the `hang on, don't leave me, don't let go.' And what exactly are we being told in `Insomnia' is anything outside every week at the cinema? Nolan intercutting shots of Pacino looking disoriented with shots of events real and imagined for seconds and milliseconds accompanied by jarring music. One can't help think that the boy must be on to something. This will obviously spark a revolution in cinema. As with `The Insider' and `Any Given Sunday,' one feels that the film could cut half an hour of Al Pacino (make that an hour for `Sunday'), not that he's particularly anything or another (why is he from the Italian Bayou, by the way?). Robin Williams mistakes underplaying for playing (and looks like he's had work done) and the great and underused Martin Donovan is fine, underused and miscast in a part better suited to Aaron Eckhart (I mention because the character's name IS Eckhart). Hilary Swank fails to register until she begins to grate near the end, mostly the script's fault. Nicky Katt has to play a romantic lead or a kid with a pet he loves or SOMETHING or he'll soon wind up just another a__hole of the week, no offense but isn't this his 8th a__hole part? He and Martin Donovan should defect back to indieworld, I'm sure Hal Hartley or Richard Linklater could mix up something worthwhile. Oh, and Maura Tierney gets paid, which is always a good thing; although really, not for very much.I only wonder why they didn't nail together a cross from the abundant wood scrap on the dock where happens the film's climactic shootout (what's that?
The original with Stellan Skarsgard which was so good it is ALREADY out on Criterion didn't have a big western shootout with catch phrases like `Hey Will, you forgot about the wild card [bang!]'???) Really, this film sets the cause of making major movies not crap back somewhat, as its wholesale embrace of blatant whoredom makes the case that if you're mad because it was simply smarter/better the way it was done originally, you are just being anti-commercial and neo-bohemian for the sake of poseurship, because LOOK!
Christopher Nolan has been proclaimed as a Genuine Artiste by the Wood itself, and if you think that sacrifices his credibility, the song goes, then you're the one who'll be stuck trying to trade your home-made digital movies on the web in 20 years and ranting about giving a demographic a chance to buy something other than pablum. Maybe we should get Nolan a cross too. It's a sucker bet, and it's no real surprise that Soderbergh produced it. Again, the illusion of pushing boundaries with none of the effects, risks or rewards of actually pushing boundaries.So it's right there on the poster: three academy awards and the new hot guy and we still can't get a good ending or any honest to god moral ambiguity.
Williams goes bonkers and (as you know from the preview) tries to off Swank in a completely unjustifiable move (she's told everyone where she's going!
He's a mystery writer!) and Pacino decides that he should give the nickel back to Mr. Wilson even if he's going to be grounded for two whole weeks. Pacino certainly took Olivier's advice to Dustin Hoffman about acting like he's tired, by the end of the movie you'll swear he hasn't slept since `Dog Day Afternoon.' The cinematography was nicely handled by Wally Pfister, so the evening wasn't a complete waste. But sing it loud and if you're going to sing it then sing it proud, SELL OUT!
Pacino, I salute thee!
posted on 13 Jul 2009I walked out of this movie feeling like I was born again with new skin. As it looks now, this may be the only movie actually worth going to this summer. Al Pacino is a true American patriot in this movie. Robin Williams plays an excellent bad guy - kinda like the garbage man who always used to spend more time at your garbage than anyone elses, and you thought he was looking through your wife's underwear or something. This movie is set in the most beautiful and patriotic of states, Alaska, and Hilary Swank contributes to this movie's higher-than-average babe factor. If you liked this movie, like I did, chances are you: 1. Love natural-skin hotdogs, 2. Know the words to taps, 3. Have served your country gallantly, 4. Are a god-fearing patriotic American citizen. I give this film a 9 out of 10.
excellent viewing
posted on 09 Jul 2009This is fantastic viewing and although the choice of bad guy is surprising, it works really well however many movies you've seen him in as the good guy. Although we can see (or think we can see) his comic personality below the surface it's amazing how it easily translates to something darkerWe really get a sense of the movie title, we are convinced that it is daytime for 24 hours. Pacino is simply his very excellent self.The ending leaves you thinking which may be a disappointment to some but for me was a perfect ending. Something "clean" would not have done this justice.
Expected more from director of Memento
posted on 07 Jul 2009I was very disappointed when I came out of my schools theater from this. Robin Williams, who apparently strung himself thin, was in two movies that aren't going to make it very far... this and Death to Smoochy. Meanwhile, Al Pacino plays his overused character as it is... overused. The "intrigue" in the subplot is marginal, causing some of the extremely predictable scenes to drag even more with talk of internal affairs and some thingy with people in jail. There's some teenage angst which is thrown in for the hell of it, and just general uninterestingness. The insomnia scenes are also quite boring. So yeah. It's a movie. Might make a good deal at the box office, but not really worth it.
Dramatic atmospheric story
posted on 25 Jun 2009Christopher Nolan is one of the best British directors in the world, and actually the more productive if we talk about atmosphere, characters and presentation. With Insomnia, this follow up of Memento, he returns to the regular structured plots, but stills into his world of insane and maniac situations. We see this poor detective performed by Al Pacino, who has a terrible insomnia for many problems and the damn light of Alaska that never really leaves the movie. In a couple of minutes we have the same feelings. We feel tired, but not because of the movie but because of that overwhelming atmosphere, oppressive and uneasy. Our eyes adapt to the few light spots, so when a sun ray hits our retinas we almost got blind. This kind of feelings are hard to introduce to an audience, but if you are so prodigious and intelligent as Chris Nolan, is a piece of cake. But if you are looking for another backwards plot structure like his last movie, dude, you must go to bed and keep trying to get rid out of that damn syndrome.
Don't go to sleep! There is a crime to solve.
posted on 24 Aug 2009This is a thriller that just keeps stacking on the intrigue and excitement. Powerful and masterful acting. Al Pacino is a high profile detective that goes to Alaska with his partner to help out in a murder case. Hilary Swank plays a young cop that is also trying to solve the crime along with the Alaskan police. After Pacino accidentally kills his partner, he is blackmailed by the hunted sadistic killer(Robin Williams)who witnessed the shooting. When Pacino is not playing cat and mouse with Williams, he is trying like hell to get some sleep; but sleep doesn't come.Pacino is convincing and it is really interesting to see the darker side of Williams. Swank is actually impressive and could have handled a meatier role. Kudos to director Christopher Nolan for the atmospheric chiller. Highly recommended.