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Plot:
As a more conventional follow-up to his innovative thriller Memento, Christopher Nolan's Insomnia offers ample proof that his skills are genuine. A superbly crafted remake of the 1997 No...( read more 
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Recent Reviews
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MCT:August 14, 2008One-Sentence Review:
"A creator of Memento does it again with 3 Academy Award winners in this great detective thriller"
(Al Pacino was awesome,Robin Williams was out of his usual comedy self and realy shows his other side.And another great acting from Swank.Nolan's discreet changes morphs this film into something completely different that originally conceived. To call this film a remake would be tough in my eyes, because it is not a remake. It is a new interpretation of a classic film. Nolan makes some small changes to the plot which ultimately changes that course of our characters and the overall tones of the film. For example, there is quite a bit more Hollywood "running" in Nolan's film than in the original. Skarsgård captures our attention because of his internal conflicts, while Nolan captures our attention in his film by forcing us to watch Pacino run Williams down, to see him screaming his lines at random characters, and the ending that just epitomizes the standard that Hollywood seems to embrace. Without giving away too much detail, I must say that unlike the original, more gunfire is used, the intensity of the music is increased, and an event occurs with our main character that changes the original film completely. That is why I cannot call this film a remake in any way shape or form.) -
MCT:August 9, 2008
Al Pachino was great in this ,,the ending could have been better ,,and with this one they brought you right into the twist instead of having you figure it out on your own,,but all in all ,it turned out to be a good movie .
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MCT:August 5, 2008
This film had a great cast and the idea for it was good.But I was a little disapointed at the ending because Christopher Nolan usualy has great endings.
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MCT:July 29, 2008Excellent thriller from Nolan.
Watched this again after watching The Dark Knight and I was struck by just how good it was. Nolan seems to be incapable of delivering a poor flick and although this is a more straightforward tale, it's delivery is impecable and it's cast just sell this completely.
Al underplays very nicely here and whilst I would have loved a shouty rant here and there it's very good work indeed. The dude looks more and more wasted as the story progresses and I totally brought into his character. As for Robin Williams, this reminded me of what a presence he can be. I really enjoyed the scenes he shared with Al and he was a credible bad guy. Shame that his film choices usually waste his talent. Liked Hilary in this, kinda reminded me of Jodie in Silence of the lambs a little and she makes the most of her time on screen.
The story itself is a goodie. It is complex, engaging and moves along at a nice pace. Whilst it becomes a little predictable towards the end, the cast keep things going. Overall, this is likely to be considered one of Nolan's lesser works which I feel is a little unfair. The guy really knows how to spin a tale and this one is a keeper. -
MCT:July 24, 2008
Parts of the movie were excellent, it was almost a Silence of the Lambs type beginning but then the plot takes unnecessary twists and turns that bring it down, spiraling down to a stupid ending.
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MCT:July 21, 2008I need to rewatch this movie. I've become a huge Christopher Nolan fan and his movie deserves a second chance. When I first saw this movie, it was at the start of my distain for Robin Williams and I couldn't handle him in any role. Although, since Nolan didn't write the script himself. the movie may stay with its current rating.
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MCT:July 18, 2008
I hadn't seen "Insomnia" for a couple of years and decided to pop it in this afternoon. Much to my surprise, I forgot a whole hell of a lot about this movie! I forgot a few crucial plot points and twists... only remembering things such as Pacino's near-drowning experience and the ending shootout. This is a great film, don't get me wrong - but my memory as a less-educated filmgoer shows exactly what the movie's flaw is. Pointless action sequences! The drama and psychology is so dynamic and interesting, but every now and then we're bogged down with chases that lead literally nowhere.
Al Pacino plays a veteran police officer, Will Dormer, who has been recruited to a case in Nightmute, Alaska. His partner, Hap Eckhart (Martin Donovan) looks to be almost in prime position to grab Will's spot right out from under him due to a mishap and an investigation by internal affairs. The two men have been sent to work with Ellie Burr (Hilary Swank), in a case involving the murder of a 17-year-old girl.
All of your typical crime thriller building blocks are here. We get red herrings now and then (often the boyfriend is the prime suspect when the murder is a young girl), a slightly "edgy" cop playing by his own rules, and a mastermind criminal who is playing mind games - leading to a full-fledged psychological war between the cop and the bad guy. However, due to some interesting twists, this certainly takes a turn for the better. After becoming disoriented in the fog, Will shoots Hap. Was it an accident... or did he subconsciously mean to do it? Hap certainly thought he meant it. Worse is the fact that the killer, Walter Finch (Robin Williams), witnessed the murder and could now bring Will down. The only way out of it for both of them seems to be by establishing a sort of working relationship with one another.
What really stuck with me about this film over the years is Al Pacino's performance. He looks so miserable and sick the entire time... almost like a walking corpse. I love all the scenes with him trying to sleep at night - as someone who can also have a lot of problems falling asleep, I almost laughed at the similar frustrations. Will taping up the edges of the windows to block out the 24/7 sunlight is an absolutely beautiful and riveting metaphorical device. Everything about Will screams that he's on the verge of snapping... only temporarily "taping" things up. The sunlight reminded me of the Tell-Tale Heart, in a way.
There's extremely good performances all around. I mentioned Pacino, but Robin Williams is equally wonderful. I remember when this and "One Hour Photo" came out, I was just stunned at how convincing he was with his characters. Both characters are inexcusably insane and need to be captured, however you almost root for him in a way. In this one, you legitimately start to feel bad for his character - just as in "One Hour Photo" you looked at him as the "poor lonely guy" rather than the sadistic stalker. He's such a dynamic villain and I love characters like that. This isn't your typical action flick where the bad guy is bad because he wants to be... these are real people, who either act out because of pent up anger, humiliation, or sheer loneliness.
As someone who is still a very young director, Christopher Nolan has certainly put out a lot of memorable films. I watched this as a prelude to this weekend's "The Dark Knight", and it's stunning how "inexperienced" (NOTE THE QUOTATIONS!) he is as a director. While I would like to see him tackle something a bit more compelling and character-driven (well, these completely are character-driven, but i'm talking a character without extreme circumstances behind his personality), there isn't a director around who can make a more enjoyable thriller piece.
I was really having a blast watching this and I loved the dynamic of Pacino and Williams, but the end almost spoiled the entire thing for me. Now, i'm not saying it's bad to "wrap everything up" at the end of a film, but this was knotted in such a large fluffy bow that it lost it's impact. This is a film that brings many morale dilemmas and interesting characters, and because everything is kept so tidy at the end the film doesn't get a chance to resonate with the viewer. It's really a shame. This is a near perfect film tainted by a pretty lousy final act. -
MCT:July 15, 2008
Pretty run of the mill cop drama. I don't understand the insomnia, though. If the light is bothering you, get a mask or put covers over your head.
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MCT:July 9, 2008Some Spoilers Here***********************************************************
Insomnia is set in Nightmute, Alaska which is in perpetual daylight due to its location above the Arctic Circle.
Al Pacino stars as Will Dormer, a burnt-out, detached yet dedicated and highly-decorated detective from the LAPD's Robbery/Homicide Division enlisted to assist the local police force of Nightmute, Alaska after the naked body of a young local girl is found brutally battered to death.
Hilary Swank exudes in her role of a fresh rookie detective who virtually hero worships Dormer and is anxiously excited at the opportunity of working alongside him. Swank carries off her role excellently as she struggles to impress Dormer while attempting to decipher his unorthodox methods.
Unsurprisingly, Pacino completely steals the show as he effortlessly portrays the deterioration of Dormer's mental and physical stability due to insomnia as a result of being unaccustomed to the perpetual daylight. Further exacerbating the matter is Dormer being methodically scrutinized by Internal Affairs for the suspicious discrepancies of his past cases.
Robin Williams breaks away from his usual comedic roles and thrusts the viewer into a rarely seen 'darker' side of himself with his portrayal as a shrewd, analytical yet deeply disturbed character who constantly mocks and plagues Dormer's investigations.
The seamless and beautifully woven plot of Insomnia will undeniably leave you unable to tear yourself away from the screen as the film progresses. The film manages to slowly unravel its uniquely articulate neo-noir nature interspersed with Dormer's tainted past steadily catching up with him and Nolan wraps his signature cinematic style around the thought-provoking storyline.
The moment you press Play, be prepared to be unforgivingly sucked into this film and grapple with the stellar quality of acting shown by Pacino, Williams and Swank. The surreal setting of Nightmute's perpetual daylight temporarily alleviates the darkness of the film but progressively shrouds the characters as the investigation intensifies and more unanswered questions turn up. Nolan peppers the film with incredible minute details which serve to entangle you even further.
If your a fan of Nolan's work like me, I have no doubt you will thoroughly enjoy this film but in the event that you're not, this will undoubtedly hermetically seal your respect for him and the one-of-a-kind 'feel' of his movies.
I consider this one of Nolan's finest works and I give it a solid two thumbs up and would highly recommend the average movie junkie to experience the mystifyingly addictive nature of Nolan's films by watching this brilliant masterpiece. -
MCT:July 6, 2008The original by Erik Skjolbaerg is simpler, more of a character study, and doesn't try to give it a Hollywood-ish tidy ending...
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MCT:June 26, 2008
Insomnia is the remake of the equally-named 1997 norwegian thriller:
Veteran police officer Will Dormer (played by Al Pacino) is sent from the city to a small Alaska town to investigate the murder of a teenage girl. While chasing a suspect (Robin Williams) through the fog, Dormer accidently kills his partner. Instead of admitting his guilt, Dormer is given an unexpected alibi. But despite this he is looked after by the local idealistic detective Ellie Bur (Hilary Swank) while he himself has to find the murderer (Robin Williams). But the murderer knows of Dormer's guilt and starts to blackmail him and forces the detective into a cat-and-mouse game. -
MCT:June 24, 2008
Invited to Nightmute,Alaska,to head a murder case, veteran LAPD detective Will Dormer finds his investgation disrupted...
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MCT:June 22, 2008
A repeat viewing made some of Pacino's stupid decisions a little easier to sit through. Solid, moody little movie. And I don't really mind Robin Williams doing the whole dark thing.
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MCT:June 7, 2008
Pacino and Williams together!! Williams doesn't know how to portray a convincing bad guy though, but both are good. watch the original BTW, it's grand cinema.
83/100 -
MCT:May 31, 2008
a interesting cat and mouse thriller and a great follow up for christopher nolan after memento. both al pacino and robin williams give great performances. this is definatly the best serious work i've seen from robin williams
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MCT:May 19, 2008
Although I am not sure the significance of a Director, Nolan does whatever he does fantastically in this movie.
Robin Williams is awesome in these twisted roles (see also One Hour Photo). -
MCT:May 17, 2008
A remake of the original Norweigan film,Christopher Nolan hit paydirt with this film.A superb cast and great script lead to a great viewing experience. Willimas and Pacino work well together and it shows but the shining star to me is Hilary Swank.
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MCT:May 16, 2008
A fantastic remake of a solid foreign film, this fascinating early Nolan feature features a strong dramatic performance from Robin Williams as well as a disturbing performance from Al Pacino. Strong editing as is Nolan?s staple add to the great intensity of the film.
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MCT:May 1, 2008
two los angeles detectives, detective will dormer (al pacino) and detective hap eckhart (martin donovan), are dispatched to a northern town in alaska to investigate the horrible murder of a 17 year old girl. things become complicated when hap is killed accidentally by will, who begins to suffer of insomnia. hilary swank plays a young local cop named ellie burr, who helps detective dormer during the investigation. robin williams plays walter finch, a local novelist, also the murderer. if pacino is again brilliant, williams delivers a strong dramatic performance, portraying perfect a sick bastard killer. hilary swank delivers another good performance. insomnia is an intense thriller and another very good movie of christopher nolan.
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MCT:April 28, 2008
It's no Memento, but this movie is certainly further proof that Christopher Nolan is a real craftsman. The direction builds the tension well and the viewer is encouraged to completely empathise with Pacino's flawed protagonist. For Pacino this was a rather under-stated (and less-shouty) performance than some of his other work and Robin Williams proves his under-rated versatility as the villain. The pace does slow down in places, but for the most part I was gripped.
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MCT:April 18, 2008
good remaking.although the original version is darker but this american version wins the cometition for its actors !
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MCT:April 7, 2008
This film is poo. Robin Williams is poo. REally nice idea though so i want to see the original. I can't believe the original is only 4 years older than the stupid hollywood remake. That just makes me mad for some reason
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itbegins2005posted 36 days ago
