Insomnia (2002)

Director: Christopher Nolan
Screenplay: Hillary Seitz (based on the Norwegian film of the same name) 
Cast: Al Pacino, Robin Williams, Hilary Swank
Music: David Julyan
Time: 113 minutes
Bottom-line: A smart thriller made better by Pacino’s and Williams’ performances

  Christopher Nolan has directed eight films so far, and they can be classified into three categories: 1) The Batman trilogy; 2) Typical Nolan films- Memento, Inception, The Prestige and Following, which are categorized by non-linear narration, characters whose true nature is not known till the end, etc. The third category is ‘Insomnia’. This is not a typical Nolan film, which is probably why this good film is unnoticed even now. 

Pacino (right) and Williams

The story takes place in Nightmute, Alaska. Detective Will Dormer (Pacino) and Hap Eckhart (Martin Donovan) from LA, are called to investigate the murder of Kay Connell, a 17 year old girl beaten to death. Meanwhile, Dormer has problems with Internal Affairs, and Hap says that only he can save Dormer. Hap cuts a deal, which Dormer ignores. Dormer sets a trap for the murderer, which doesn’t go well and the murderer escapes into a fog. Dormer chases the man, but accidentally shoots Hap, killing him. As Dormer knows that Eckhart was blackmailing him, he knows

Hilary Swank

that no one will believe that this shooting was an accident. Dormer gives false details to put him out of blame. Another detective, Ellie Burr (Swank), who was in charge of the Connell case, is now given responsibility of finding Hap’s killer.
  Dormer is troubled by his guilt, along with insomnia caused by perpetual daylight (which prevails over Alaska at that time of the year). He also receives phone calls from a stranger, who says that he saw Dormer kill Hap. Dormer finds out about the caller: Walter Finch (Williams). The next day, Dormer and Finch meet in a ferry, and Finch agrees to the murder of Kay. But he cuts a risky deal. Meanwhile, Ellie finds a bullet in the forest, which she traces to Dormer’s revolver. Does Dormer accept the deal? Does Ellie confront Dormer despite being a strong follower of his methods? Does Dormer’s insomnia and guilt give way to his confession? You have to watch the film to find out!

This film is pretty straight forward, compared to other Nolan films like Memento and Inception. The nature of the characters is also quite clear. The narrative structure is linear, except for many brief flashbacks. Hence, this does not have the characteristics of a Nolan film. He also chooses a unique location, Alaska, as perpetual daylight also plays a part in the film. One dialogue by the hotel owner, Rachel, also tells the reason for choosing Alaska: “There are two kinds of people who live in Alaska- those who are born here, and those who come here to escape something else.” But as it turns out, Dormer’s guilt begins at Alaska! This film has a good story: does framing another person remove your guilt? Or is honesty still the best policy? The scenic locations in Alaska: the snowy mountains, lush green forests and roadside trees, the rainy atmosphere have all been shot very well.

Pacino has acted excellently. He looks old and haggard throughout the film, but yet manages to show guilt and anger on his face, mixed with sleeplessness. Seeing Robin Williams as a villain is a new experience to me, and to many other people as well, but he has done a great job. Vulgar language also is a drawback: Pacino and Finch display enough anger with just emotions and normal language, so why use profanity?

Nolan builds up the suspense well: the story kicks off right from the start. I watched this film expecting more of Nolan’s traits, but I didn’t get many. But anyway, this is Nolan’s third film, and he had directed only Following and Memento before that. I happened to see this film after seeing the other ‘typical’ Nolan films, and so, I was slightly disappointed that I didn’t see any non-linear narrative and stuff.Nolan has managed to include many beautiful locations in Alaska, and has also managed to give sufficient time to display Pacino’s feelings about the killing, without taking too much time. Julyan’s score is also good. The camera work also captures the fight scenes at the end well.

The original 'Insomnia' poster

Yet, with many positive factors, Insomnia is a solid dialogue-driven thriller that is sure to make you love Nolan even more. The pace never slackens, and the great acting by all the lead actors adds to the thrill along with an atmosphere that is well-chosen. This is another great thriller by a master filmmaker, who never disappoints.

My Rating: 4.5/5
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 92%