A very good police thriller
Added 1/31/2010
While this isn't the sort of thriller which will keep you on the edge or your seat, it will keep your interest throughout. Nolan does a great job directing, as usual, and it has a very talented cast, lead by Al Pacino, Hilary Swank, and Robin Williams. Williams does a very good job in a rare dramatic and creepy part. There's no element of his more well-known comedic side here at all. With a few well-placed twists, the movie will keep you guessing.
LA detective Dormer (Pacino) is sent with his partner Eckhart to a small town in Alaska, in part to get away from an evolving investigation into their department and, more officially, to help with a homicide investigation. The little town of Nightmute isn't used to homicides, so when Dormer arrives to help, young officer Burr (Swank), who looks up to Dormer, is thankful for his help. None of the local officers are aware of the LA internal affairs investigation, but it's the main thing on the minds of Eckhart, who has decided he will testify, and Dormer, who is afraid of being ruined because of his action in a previous homicide case. Dormer is unable to sleep - partly because of the constant Alaskan sunlight and partly due to feelings of guilt - and this visibly wears on him. Before long Dormer identifies and lcoates the girl's killer, Finch, a police mystery writer, but things are far from over. Finch recognizes Dormer's weakened condition and has something on him. When Finch hatches a plan that would help them both get off free, Dormer has to choose either to play along or to try to outsmart him. Can he get justice for the murdered girl without implicating himself in other matters?
The Alaskan scenery throughout the movie is both picturesque and somehow oppressive. Its stark nature adds to the sense of disorientation from Dormer's insomnia. The combination of beauty and eeriness reminded me of "Twin Peaks", though it has none of that TV show's quirkiness. Alaska looks like it would be a nice place to visit... but I can easily imagine how the perpetual daylight some months and perpetual darkness other months would take its toll.
With good acting, evocative scenery, and a simple but well-devised plot, I would recommend this movie to anyone looking for a quality thriller. So far Christopher Nolan hasn't disappointed.
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Perfect Christopher Nolan
Added 11/29/2009
I hadn't seen this movie before I bought it, but being a big fan of Christopher Nolan, I was excited to see it. It definitely lived up to my expectations and if you like Nolan, I definitely recommend buying it.
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Murder Where The Sun Never Sets
Added 11/8/2009
I should say that the fact that the sun doesn't set for months becomes a major theme in the film, coupled with the question of just what is the behavior that a good cop will expect of him-or herself. Al Pacino gives a bravura performance as the cop who suffers from insomnia due to the sun and whose actions in the past and present lead him to question his self-conception as a good cop. He is ably abetted by Swank and Williams, with the supporting roles being filled well. There is some action, some talk, some scenery, and no sleep. All in all, an above average effort to portray The Detective and The Criminal. Good watching.
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My review as on Unratedmagazine.com....
Added 8/25/2009
Insomnia is oftentimes engaging, sharply photographed, and nicely acted despite its genre conventions. It reminds one of the old film-noir movies, and even has a trace of Hitchcock in the subtle way most of the movie proceeds with its psychological-thriller concepts (the sense of quiet creepiness reminds one of Shadow of a Doubt.) Although the simplistic plot concerning a web of lies and murder wrecking psychological sleep deprivation on a homicide detective that is working to find a killer in a Alaskan town may not do much to advance this genre, the film is quite watchable. It is captivating formulism.
In part this is due to the film's leads (Al Pacino and Hilary Swank) that are played impeccably, and the real surprise of the main cast is Robin Williams. Giving a very understated and nuanced performance as the killer, Williams reminds one of the low-key villains that have a sense of soft-spoken eeriness to them and crooked logic that makes their manner oftentimes just as scary as a raving lunatic due to them feeling like your average, kind next door neighbors. The acting also complements the mood of the film, as well.
Directed by Christopher Nolan, the film is shot much different than the dark shadows of those noir pictures. This film invokes its location of the 24-hour sunlight of Alaska with a lot of grays, blues, and well, sunlight. Nolan tells the story with both an atmospheric visual flair, and also shows considerable grasp at tension, even if the audience can guess what will happen. As Nolan may keep things rote, screenwriter Hillary Seitz and he also keep the elements rather grounded with both a sense of drama, apt monologues, and astute dialogue. There is even a quite nail-biting scene that has Pacino pursuing Williams on water logs, only for things to turn rather wet.
If Insomnia falters it is because the plot is only intricate in terms of the central dilemma, and not in terms of its development. Thematically, the elements are rather obvious in the morals that the film examines and at times it is also very Hollywood in regards to its stance on these beliefs. The film is almost too bittersweet in its logic, and since it ends on a moral note this also seems so obvious and predetermined that it comes without surprise or a sense of subversion; this is especially true in the climax.
In the end, Insomnia does nothing to reinvent the wheel, or even add anything to it. Rather, it just spins it well enough that it is both sincere and skilled enough about what it sets out to do. A fine watch, indeed.
8.0 / 10 (In 0.5 Increments.)
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The first of two excellent films by Robin Williams in 2002
Added 8/19/2009
I know alot of you out there will disagree with me, but 2002 was probably Robin Williams's best year for movies. Mind you I say this without having watched "Death To Smootchy" yet. However, this, and "One Hour Photo" are definitely his finest hours. This is a complex movie, and I have to thank my wife for suggesting we go see this on our 1st anniversary. It's about a murder in Alaska that the locals can't seem to solve, and they bring in a legendary police officer from Los Angeles played equally good by Al Pacino. However, Pacino's character isn't quite ready for the wilds of Alaska...especially during the summer when the sun never sets, and lack of sleep is an understatement. Then there comes the chase in the fog where Pacino accidently shoots his partner....or does he? There's alot more riding on this than the murder mystery itself, and it plays out where Williams and Pacino play the game of cat and mouse. Apparently Williams had done some research into Pacino's past, and he promises to keep quiet if Pacino keeps quiet about Williams little murder. There's a underlying twist here, and Pacino's admirer played by Hillary Swank comes to the same conclusion, and just in time when Pacino decides he doesn't want to keep quiet anymore, and then comes the fight scenes between Williams and Pacino, and brother let me tell you it was one that has stuck in my mind for the last 7 years. In the end however, it was hard to tell if justice was served as both Pacino and Williams characters end up dying by the others hand. I feel that this was one of the overlooked movies of 2002, and so I want to put this here to remind people that Robin Williams can act in suspense/thrillers too. He's funny, but don't judge this, or "One Hour Photo", or for that matter "The Final Cut" before giving it a chance. He did good in all 3 movies.
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A very good police thriller
Added 1/31/2010
While this isn't the sort of thriller which will keep you on the edge or your seat, it will keep your interest throughout. Nolan does a great job directing, as usual, and it has a very talented cast, lead by Al Pacino, Hilary Swank, and Robin Williams. Williams does a very good job in a rare dramatic and creepy part. There's no element of his more well-known comedic side here at all. With a few well-placed twists, the movie will keep you guessing.
LA detective Dormer (Pacino) is sent with his partner Eckhart to a small town in Alaska, in part to get away from an evolving investigation into their department and, more officially, to help with a homicide investigation. The little town of Nightmute isn't used to homicides, so when Dormer arrives to help, young officer Burr (Swank), who looks up to Dormer, is thankful for his help. None of the local officers are aware of the LA internal affairs investigation, but it's the main thing on the minds of Eckhart, who has decided he will testify, and Dormer, who is afraid of being ruined because of his action in a previous homicide case. Dormer is unable to sleep - partly because of the constant Alaskan sunlight and partly due to feelings of guilt - and this visibly wears on him. Before long Dormer identifies and lcoates the girl's killer, Finch, a police mystery writer, but things are far from over. Finch recognizes Dormer's weakened condition and has something on him. When Finch hatches a plan that would help them both get off free, Dormer has to choose either to play along or to try to outsmart him. Can he get justice for the murdered girl without implicating himself in other matters?
The Alaskan scenery throughout the movie is both picturesque and somehow oppressive. Its stark nature adds to the sense of disorientation from Dormer's insomnia. The combination of beauty and eeriness reminded me of "Twin Peaks", though it has none of that TV show's quirkiness. Alaska looks like it would be a nice place to visit... but I can easily imagine how the perpetual daylight some months and perpetual darkness other months would take its toll.
With good acting, evocative scenery, and a simple but well-devised plot, I would recommend this movie to anyone looking for a quality thriller. So far Christopher Nolan hasn't disappointed.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
|
Perfect Christopher Nolan
Added 11/29/2009
I hadn't seen this movie before I bought it, but being a big fan of Christopher Nolan, I was excited to see it. It definitely lived up to my expectations and if you like Nolan, I definitely recommend buying it.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
|
Murder Where The Sun Never Sets
Added 11/8/2009
I should say that the fact that the sun doesn't set for months becomes a major theme in the film, coupled with the question of just what is the behavior that a good cop will expect of him-or herself. Al Pacino gives a bravura performance as the cop who suffers from insomnia due to the sun and whose actions in the past and present lead him to question his self-conception as a good cop. He is ably abetted by Swank and Williams, with the supporting roles being filled well. There is some action, some talk, some scenery, and no sleep. All in all, an above average effort to portray The Detective and The Criminal. Good watching.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
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