Insomnia Review
by Christian Pyle (Tlcclp AT aol DOT com)November 4th, 2002
Insomnia
Reviewed by Christian Pyle
Directed by Christopher Nolan
Written by Hillary Seitz (based on a screenplay by Nikolaj Frobenius and Erik Skjoldbjærg)
Starring Al Pacino, Robin Williams, and Hilary Swank
Grade: A
Legendary LAPD cop Will Dormer (Al Pacino) and his partner Hap Eckhart (Martin Donovan) have been exiled to Alaska to help local authorities solve the murder of a teenage girl. Back in LA, an internal affairs investigation is nipping at their heels. Hap intends to testify, causing Will to worry that his career will be destroyed. Will sets a trap for the girl's killer, and the killer takes the bait. However, the cops have to chase him through a fog. Will fires at a man in front of him and accidentally kills Hap. Knowing that the scandal back home will make it look like deliberate murder, Will blames the shooting on the killer (Robin Williams). But now the psycho has an edge because he's the only other person aware of the cover-up. While the killer blackmails Will, an eager local cop (Hilary Swank) is also putting together the truth.
"Insomnia," a remake of a 1997 Norwegian film, is director Christopher Nolan's follow-up to his tour-de-force "Memento." Although "Insomnia" is actually Nolan's third film, his new prominence makes it a sophomore effort. Wisely, Nolan avoids the trap of trying to have a gimmick in this film that will top that of "Memento." Instead, with three Oscar winners leading the cast, Nolan wisely places the emphasis on their work and the conflicts within and between characters.
I'd forgotten what a good actor Pacino is; my take on him before seeing "Insomnia" is that he tends to overplay ("Scent of a Woman," "Devil's Advocate") or underplay ("The Godfather") roles. Here Pacino hits just the right notes to play a hero slowly consumed by guilt. The titular insomnia belongs to Will and is ostensibly the result of Alaska's "midnight sun." However, no matter how many layers of blankets he uses to cover the windows, a beam of light always shines directly into his eyes, showing that his guilt is keeping him awake. Will's growing exhaustion, expertly played by Pacino, suggests the way his crime is eating away his soul.
Williams is also making a departure from his earlier work. Generally he's played characters who resemble his stand-up persona ("Dead Poets Society," "Good Morning, Vietnam") or likeable, sensitive everymen examining life ("What Dreams May Come," Bicentennial Man"). The sweetness of that latter set of roles informs his work in "Insomnia." His character, Walter Finch, is disarmingly nice and seems harmless, but he is also a calculating psychopath who matches Will move-for-move in their game of wits.
"Insomnia" is highly effective as a thriller because it remembers what so many contemporary suspense films forget: the genre is about a psychological state, not physical danger.
© 2002 Christian L. Pyle
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