Insomnia (2002)
Grade: A-
Cast: Al Pacino, Robin Williams, Hilary Swank, Tate Donovan, Maura Tierney, Nicky Katt
Director: Christopher Nolan
Rated R for language and violence


Christopher Nolan, who previously mesmerized me with 2001’s "Memento," has now garnered even more of my respect and admiration. This is a filmmaker with talent. "Insomnia," his first big Hollywood film, is a remake of an atmospheric 1997 Norwegian film. My expectations going into Nolan’s "Insomnia" were not exactly low, but not really high either, because I had already seen the original, I liked it, and didn’t think a remake was necessary (see my review of "Vanilla Sky," in fact, if you want to know just how much I don’t like English remakes of recent foreign films). I was proved wrong. "Insomnia" bests the original by far.

Al Pacino plays Detective Dormer. Under an Internal Affairs investigation for possible corruption in the past, he is dispatched to Alaska to keep a low profile. There he is assigned the case of a seventeen-year-old girl who was recently murdered. In a chase after the killer, who fell into the police’s trap, Dormer shoots Hap (Tate Donovan) instead of the killer. Did he do it on purpose? Well, yes, we realize at first, but as he covers it up and begins to question his motives himself, we aren’t sure anymore. Soon, he is contacted by Walter Finch (Robin Williams), an author who acted as a mentor to the murdered girl and admits that he killed her. However, he doesn’t make it easy; Dormer is not given the chance to turn him in, because Finch saw Dormer shoot Hap, and can just as easily turn him in. On top of all this, because of the fact that Alaska’s sun doesn’t set, Dormer hasn’t gotten sleep in nearly a week. Meanwhile, he’s got an eager young admiring cop, Ellie Burr (Hilary Swank), vigorously hunting through evidence, and presumably close to finding out Dormer’s secret. The plot plays like “Attracting Stress For Dummies”.

Despite the sleepy theme, every part of the film is wide awake and even alive with excellence. The screenplay by Hilary Seitz wisely makes noticeable changes from the original, nearly all of them for the better (although the original ending was just fine with me). Her dialogue sizzles with guilt and doom (“A good cop can't sleep because he's missing a piece of the puzzle, and a bad cop can't sleep because his conscience won't let him”), without being obvious or corny. Christopher Nolan’s direction is stunningly atmospheric and creepy, bringing out visuals that cannot easily be topped.

The acting is also excellent—Al Pacino gives his best performance in maybe ten years, and he doesn’t ever go over-the-top or try to steal a scene. Robin Williams is also excellent as Finch (proving once again that he is a fine actor), bringing an appreciated creepiness to the film. Hilary Swank and Maura Tierney are also notable for making caricatures into characters we feel we know and care about. Also worth noting is the editing (from "Memento"’s Dody Dorn, who is the only editor right now whose films I look forward to) and the beautiful cinematography.

Is it slow? Yes, probably too slow for normal audiences; the film it reminds me most of is 2001’s "The Pledge," directed by Sean Penn. It’s less ambiguous than that film, but it shares a similar atmosphere, patience in its pace, and an excellent, restrained performance from its aging leading actor (with "The Pledge," it was Jack Nicholson, whose performance was one of 2001’s most underrated). It’s more successful than "The Pledge," but flawed, too, as really good action sequences manage to thrill us, but throw off the flow. That’s my only complaint, really. Parts of the film could flow better, because they are interrupted by excellent action scenes. And the ending’s a little too different from the original. With complaints like that, how bad can it be?

An interesting aspect about "Insomnia" is its unevenness. I do not mean this as a complaint. What I mean is this: it is both subtle (very restrained in the aftereffects of the murder and action scenes, "Insomnia" shows almost no blood or gore) and not subtle (let’s face it, they aren’t restrained, but those semi-subliminal shots to indicate Dormer’s insomnia sure are chillingly effective). It’s interesting how diverse Nolan can be in one movie without turning it into a CSPD (cinematic split personality disorder) case.

To overcome my personal remake rule so defiantly, "Insomnia" must be a good film. It *is* a good film, one of the best currently playing in theaters. It is not without its flaws, but I can’t help but feel it’s slightly underrated. Haunting, intriguing, and complex, "Insomnia" proves that "Memento" wasn’t a fluke.


-Alex, July 2002