Insomnia (2002/I)

Director:

Christopher Nolan

Writers (WGA):

Nikolaj Frobenius (1997 screenplay) and
Erik Skjoldbjærg (1997 screenplay) ...

Release Date:

24 May 2002 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

Days never end. Nightmares are real. No one is innocent.

Plot:

Two Los Angeles homicide detectives are dispatched to a northern town where the sun doesn't set to investigate the methodical murder of a local teen.

Plot Keywords:

Psychopath | Snow | Dog | Remake | Alaska

Awards:

1 win & 7 nominations

Cast

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

MPAA:

Rated R for language, some violence and brief nudity.

Runtime:

118 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (DeLuxe)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Iceland:12 | Brazil:12 | Malaysia:U (edited version) | Malaysia:18PL (uncut version) | New Zealand:M | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Canada:14A | Finland:K-15 | Germany:16 | Hong Kong:IIB | Netherlands:12 | Norway:15 | Peru:14 | Philippines:PG-13 | Singapore:NC-16 | South Korea:15 | Spain:13 | Sweden:15 | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:14 (canton of the Grisons) | UK:15 | USA:R (certificate #38845)

Filming Locations:

Alaska, USA

Company:

Alcon Entertainment

Trivia:

Just two weeks after the film was released in Bulgaria, it premiered on the Bulgarian HBO.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: In the initial shots of the Beech 18 seaplane, when supposedly cruising to destination, the aircraft is clearly flying too low and has one notch of flaps down. This is not a normal cruise flight configuration.

Quotes:

[Going through the menu in a restaurant]
Hap Eckhart: We got the Halibut Calabrese, the Halibut Olympian.
Dormer: Keep going.
Hap Eckhart: Halibut Cajun style.
Dormer: I can't wait to see what they got for dessert.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Batman: The Journey Begins (2005) (V)

Soundtrack:

Thinking About You

Great, compelling piece of work!

I was really looking forward to this film, and I'm glad to say that I wasn't the least bit disappointed. First of all, I was glad to see Al Pacino on screen again. It seems like it's been a while since I've seen him on screen. I think the last film he was in was "Any Given Sunday." Pacino yet again delivers a brilliant performance, strapping the audience in for a wild ride through the emotionally scarred mind of Detective Will Dormer. It seemed like I could feel his every emotion throughout the course of the movie. Because this is a character-driven story that revolves around Dormer, his pain, anguish and guilt on account of accidentally taking his partner's life, constant insomnia and subsequent threats by his nemesis, played by Robin Williams as a writer of trashy detective novels who's fascinated by Dormer and blackmails him by threatening to spill out the secret of Dormer shooting his partner. As for Robin Williams, he is fully convincing as the reclusive novelist/murderer of a 17-year-old girl. I suspected, from the trailers, that he'd play a serial killer. I wouldn't exactly classify his character as a serial killer, but he is the antagonist and a murderer and Williams plays the role perfectly, never underplaying it and never overplaying it. He could've went over-the-top, playing a totally ruthless killer who cackles at the thought of murdering someone in cold blood. Though he's not our sympathetic character, you do feel sympathy for him at times. And I like how the story creates this little cat-and-mouse game between the two characters, each one plagued by skeletons in the closet. Oscar-winner Hilary Swank delivers another fine performance, and I was stunned to see how amazingly attractive she looks, after having seen her gender-bending role as Brandon Teena in "Boys Don't Cry."

Christopher Nolan is the acclaimed director of "Memento" and he scores yet again, with this beautifully constructed thriller. I was intrigued from start to finish. Nolan's use of lighting is dark and murky, wonderfully setting the noirish tone. Nolan shows great promise as an up-and-coming director, and with a good outlet he can possibly become the next Kubrick. I greatly look forward to seeing his next project, whenever that may be.

I recommend "Insomnia" to anyone who loved Nolan's previous "Memento" or anyone who simply enjoys a great, multi-faceted mystery/thriller that will keep you guessing at every turn. I think it's too early to vote this movie as one of the best films of 2002, but it's a possible candidate. We don't see too many "great" films anymore, and whenever they're out there it's good to take advantage.

My score: 9 (out of 10)