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Al Pacino, Martin Donovan, Robin Williams, Hilary Swank, Maura Tierney

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 Norwegian thrill...( read more  read more... )er, this moody police procedural is transplanted to a remote Alaskan town, where a veteran Los Angeles detective (Al Pacino) arrives to investigate the murder of a teenaged girl. Professional tragedy collides with psychological turmoil as the detective suffers from sleeplessness under the region's perpetual daylight, and a local rookie cop (Hilary Swank) begins to suspect that truths are being hidden as the disturbing case unfolds. While the Alaskan setting intensifies the atmospheric mystery, Pacino's bleary-eyed disorientation adds a rich layer to his character's erratic behavior, and the casting of Robin Williams as the killer was a risk that pays off nicely. In many respects better than the original, Insomnia is a Hollywood remake that's refreshingly free of compromise. --Jeff Shannon

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63% liked it

75,394 ratings

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167 critics

R, 1 hr. 58 min.

Directed by: Christopher Nolan

Release Date: May 24, 2002

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DVD Release Date: October 15, 2002

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Flixster Reviews (2,904)

  • AgentLexi2132
    January 27, 2010
    AgentLexi2132
    ''You don't get it do you? You're my job. You're what I'm paid to do. You're about as mysterious to me as a blocked toilet is to a fucking plumber. Reasons for doing what you did? Who gives a fuck?''

    Two Los Angeles homicide detectives are dispatched to a northern town wh...( read more)ere the sun doesn't set to investigate the methodical murder of a local teen. Sleep is a distant memory, a game of wits...

    Al Pacino: Detective Will Dormer

    Robin Williams: Walter Finch

    Insomnia(2002) is director Christopher Nolan's film after his masterful Memento. In this remake of a Norwegian film made in 1998 by Erik Skjoldbjaerg, Nolan has cast three Oscar winning knock outs - Al Pacino and Hillary Swank play police officers chasing down a dangerous psychopathic pedophilia killer played by Robin Williams.


    Nolan sets the film in Alaska, and makes good use of the location, particularly in the opening credit sequence as the camera follows a two-engine prop plane across the unforgiving jagged ice ridges. A foot chase on moving logs provides excitement, but the best thrills here are of a psychological nature true to Nolan. This is a film for adults and deep thinkers.
    Insomnia is a serious thriller that relies not just upon action, but on issues of guilt, morality and consequence to mediate the storytelling.
    Al Pacino hands in his best performance not seen for what seems an age.
    Robin Williams impresses, playing the homicidal Walter Finch with a chilling intensity that should forever mark his talents as not only a comedian but as a versatile acting talent. The Oscar win was well earned for Robin in Good Will Hunting for the Best Supporting Actor category.
    Hilary Swank as the smart small-town cop delivers a multi-layered performance that is completely believable.

    The whole movie is disorienting to the senses. If any one of you knows what it's like to actually have insomnia, you will very much appreciate the hallucinations, the sudden flashes or the foreboding feel of time standing still. It really is clever how well it depicts what happens to an individual when they can't sleep; People's voices merge, sight alters as colours seem to become disorientated, light hurts the eyes, and fatigue so torturous that reality starts to become the dream. When in the film Al Pacino has to run around chasing a corrupted killer whom subtly is victorious upon controlling him and being looked at as the victim; you feel his pain. And as the movie goes on, you feel his need to succeed in sleeping.
    We the audience begin to feel like Pacino's main protagonist, sleep deprived, sleep starved and desperately in need of it's touch. A drug always beyond reach, a savory food or mouth watering drink always looming in the distance to the starved victim.
    Everytime I watch a Nolan film, I'm always swept away by the ambient sounds, and score of his pieces. Insomnia is no exception from this equation. The misty town accompanied by the mysterious music offer a milestone of an achievement in helping show the isolation and the constant sunlight, which all aid the believability of insomnia.

    The issues of guilt, remorse and vengeance are all studied and analysed in Insomnia, 2 years after Memento and Nolan literally carries on from where he left off; Utilizing an in-depth study of a range of characters played by an Award winning cast. The raw power of emotion, the shrouded mystery of confusion and deception breathing from their very mouths.
    In retrospective, Insomnia's pace is a mixture of acceleration and wallowing stillness complimenting the slows and fasts of the intricate thriller. Tragedy laced with a psychological struggle, where upon Cop and killer are pitted against each other. The killer having the advantage of a tormented, sleep deprived, guilt ridden Nemesis to feed upon. Nolan's Insomnia is one to watch over and over and especially one to experience if you cannot find the urge to sleep. This is one psychological thriller you won't forget.

    ''Let me sleep.''
  • SirPant
    September 23, 2009
    SirPant
    Nolan proves he?s a great director in this intelligent remake.
  • Chiefilms
    September 6, 2009
    Chiefilms
    Detective psychological drama with a great cast. Robin Williams for a while went through a phase where he played bad guys, this is one of those films. Dark, slow, and eerie but it did not reach the level of intensity it could have, especially with Christopher Nolan behind the c...( read more)amera.
  • stopitgoaway
    July 19, 2009
    stopitgoaway
    I used to think that nobody could come close to Robert De Niro when it comes to who was the best actor in Hollywood but as the years went by he started to pick some real Turkeys and a in the mean while an old hand was gradually taking the crown from De Niro and that is Al Pacino....( read more) In Insomnia he has picked another cracker of a film that although not fast paced is brilliantly acted and is very watchable. Hilary Swank is superb as is Robin Williams and its refreshing to see him taking a serious role instead of sentimental trash like Patch Adams but as per usual it is Al Pacino who steals the show. He plays an insomniac Cop who gets intangled in a murder case and gets into trouble after accidently killing his partner . I cant think of an actor who looks more tired than Pacino anyway so he was perfect for the role. The story is OK but to be honest the film is more about the performances than the plot
  • Passenger1986
    June 23, 2009
    Passenger1986
    Say the word remake around most people and they hiss and act like remakes will be the downfall of movies as we know it (I disagree, I say it's the tweens market and the watering down of films just to appeal to kids but that's just me. Some might argue the watering down plus remak...( read more)ing overlap.) I'd ask about Insomnia and most would either be surprised to find out it's a remake or tell me it's the exception to the rule. And I would definitely say it is an exception.

    Will Dormer (Al Pacino, who reminds you why he gets called up for cop roles) has been sent to a small Alaskan town to investigate a murder. But while pursuing the perp, he accidentally shoots his partner, which undergoes an investigation by local cop Ellie Burr (Hilary Swank, who may be slumming it right now but I believe she'll soar back to greatness any day now). Will has a hard time trying to sleep already with the lack of darkness in Alaska, but the thoughts of his partner's death plaguing his mind doesn't help, thus enforcing that the title has more meaning.

    The perp in question is Walter Finch (Robin Williams, in one of my personal favourtie of his roles to date), a crime writer who was a mentor to the victim. Robin plays this role absolutely dead straight (no pun intended)
    and his thrust-and-parry communication with Al Pacino makes for compelling viewing. The fact that he isn't on screen or heard for nearly the first half of the movie makes it all that much more impressive.
    There's a scene in which Will and Walter talk about the crime and the shooting of Will's partner and it just reminded me of the scene from Heat (also with Pacino, thus driving the point home) in that the criminal and cop casually talk. No loud voices, no guns to head, it's like they were talking philosophy (though I did see some of it as philosophizing).

    Back to the Pacino comment about cop roles, in recent years, it's been suggested that Al's typecast as either gangsters or cops and that his work hasn't been up to scratch. And he has an "acting style" named after him, the "Pacino" which is when an actor starts a speech or just starts talking normally and eventually starts shouting so loudly. Having seen this, I ask, is it THAT bad that people ask him to be a cop in their movie? I mean, he does it so well and it's not like he does a whole lot of shouting here (with one notable exception, which works so well, but see below)

    One of his best scenes involves him interrogating a suspect. While on a drive with her, he asks questions, she comes off as slightly flirtatious. Then he drives onto the other side of the road, almost into a truck, to scare her. They get to a dump and he's now a little furious. He demands answers out of her and she's on the verge of a breakdown. Ladies and gentlemen, that is why you don't mess with Pacino-in-cop mode.

    Nolan saw a good film and decided to share it with us in a language more familiar to us. Most people don't seem to mind, nor do I. Nolan is virtually untouchable.
  • Phonex
    January 30, 2010
    Phonex
    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, Dorme...( read more)r 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.
  • briegordon
    January 28, 2010
    briegordon
    Go see this! Robin Williams really inspires this film. I hadn't seen this side of him before this film. I'd almost call it a must-see.
  • doctordoom
    January 26, 2010
    doctordoom
    This is a solid thriller starring Al Pacino and Robin Williams. The story is about a Los Angeles police detective played by Pacino who goes up to Alaska to help solve a murder case. This leads him to serial killer played by Williams. This detective though suffers from insomnia an...( read more)d so his skills are not as sharp as they should be. Overall this was a good thriller. Pacino was great and Williams was also perfect in his role as the killer. The movie also has a good supporting cast. Very entertaining. The story and characers kept me interested through out. Well worth a watch.
  • FanboyMatt
    January 9, 2010
    FanboyMatt
    Quite a dark film for Robin Williams but a great role for Al Pacino. They both played their parts very convincingly.
  • killantzb4itzl8
    January 7, 2010
    killantzb4itzl8
    A good plot with some amazing actors. Definite recommendation.
    One of Nolan's best films.

    Det. Ellie Burr: 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.

    Fred Duggar: What has two thumbs and li...( read more)kes blowjobs?
    [Points to himself with both thumbs]
    Fred Duggar: This guy!

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  • itbegins2005
    July 15, 2008
    itbegins2005
    Probably my least favorite Christopher Nolan film, which really isn't saying much considering I love his whole filmography (save the Following, only because I have yet to see it).
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Insomnia Trivia

  • What links this movies? It Insomnia Carrie Misery The Shining   Answer »
  • The Cure for Insomnia (1987) is the longest movie ever made at a total running time of 85 hours (5,220 min) . It premiered in its entirety at The School Of The Art Institute in Chicago, Illinois from January 31 to February 3, 1987, in one continuous showing.   Answer »
  • True or False: George Clooney is partly responsible (behind the camera) for the movies: Good Night and Good Luck, Insomnia, and Rock Star.  Answer »
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