Insomnia Review
by W. Scott Marshall (smarshall78 AT yahoo DOT com)June 5th, 2002
Many fans of the original Norwegian version of Insomnia cringed when they heard that Hollywood was going to remake the film in America, but when Christopher Nolan's critically acclaimed Memento was released, their fears probably subsided a little. With Memento, Nolan caused us to change the way we interact with a film by forcing us to think backwards. Now, the director has taken three Academy Award Winners and thrown them into a story that explores the morality and immorality of its characters, adding realism rarely present in Hollywood films.
The first characters we meet in the film are Detective Will Dormer (Al Pacino) and Hap Eckhart (Martin Donovan). Due to an Internal Affairs investigation involving both, Dormer and Eckhart are sent from their Los Angeles Police Department to Alaska with the task of assisting in the case of a murdered teenage girl. Detective Ellie Burr (Hilary Swank), eager and fresh out of the academy apparently, is there to meet the newcomers from L.A. and to help with the investigation. In an early scene, just after getting off of the plane, Dormer intends to get the investigation under way immediately until Ellie tells him that it is ten o'clock. At first he sees no significance in the statement, that is until she informs him that it is ten o'clock at night. Dormer's confusion is result of the fact that the film takes place during an Alaskan summer, a period in which the sun never goes down providing constant daylight. One might think that this fact would downplay the suspense of a thriller, but even though there are no night-time scenes, Insomnia will still keep you on the edge of your seat. Nolan seems to find many ways in which to display darkness in the presence of constant daylight. This daylight, which Dormer finds inescapable, assists in the insomnia that seemingly obscures his decision-making that plays out in events to come.
Cinematogropher Wally Pfister captures the beauty of Alaska in stunning sweeps of its mountainous glaciers and spectacular waterfalls. One sequence in particular involves Dormer tracking the killer through dense fog over dangerous, rocky terrain. The cinematography in this scene evokes the further creepiness of the whole picture. The events that take place during this scene propel Dormer into a situation that changes everything, including a scene that forces him to cut a deal with the killer that he would have never offered before. We find out that both the killer and Dormer's situations were caused by accidents, and as was stated earlier, they both must cut a deal with each other in order to escape those circumstances. But further events involving Ellie and her quest to do everything right, turns the film around again into unexpected turns. In an interview with Hilary Swank found on Insomnia's official site, she may best describe her character. "Ellie expects that her idol (Dormer) is going to teach her to be this amazing detective, but instead she ends up learning far more through his human failings," Swank says. "Everybody has a hero and it's a painful lesson to learn that they are human and can make mistakes."
Though the climax may not be so unexpected and may seem standard fare, the ride up to it is quite gripping. Funnyman Robin Williams plays Walter Finch and elicits a subtle, yet cryptic performance that seems to fit perfectly with this film. Pacino is mostly reserved throughout the film, rarely displaying the acts of rage that he has been remembered for. He is fantastic at manifesting the effects of the sleeplessness of his character. He did win an Oscar for playing a blind man, and is superb here as an insomniac.
It would have been cool if Robin Williams had not been billed at all in the film, making it a surprise for everyone just as Kevin Spacey wasn't billed for his role in Seven. But Robin William's turn as a killer in Insomnia is probably one of the selling points of the film, another way for the studio to make more money I assume.
My favorite films are those that place greater emphasis on telling a story, rather than a stylized piece of moving images consisting of mostly CGI. Don’t get me wrong, I love a popcorn flick every now and then and Spider-man was a great example of that type of film. However, those types of films are forgotten immediately when you walk out of the theater. Films with scenes such as Anakin Skywalker screaming past the screen in a pod-racer are fun to watch, but if it doesn't have an interesting story, its not going to draw you back to it again. When it all boils down to it, people will cherish great stories and characters far more than they will special effects or CGI - unless the film includes both of course. I felt that Insomnia was a very interesting and unique story, told with the best of skill, and I cannot wait to see Nolan's next.
This film may very well disappoint those Memento fans going in expecting the same type of film, but I can safely say that Insomnia is the definition of the modern thriller.
W. Scott Marshall
http://www.silverscreenreview.com
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