Insomnia (B+ or 3/4 stars)
Will Dormer (Al Pacino), a veteran LAPD detective, travels to a remote Alaskan town with his partner, Hap (Martin Donovan) to investigate the murder of a local teenage girl in 'Insomnia', directed by Christopher Nolan. The investigation is going well until tragedy strikes the duo while trying to apprehend the prime suspect. This is an exceedingly well written, acted, & directed film. It will test your patience in the middle. But overall, it is entirely atmospheric & riveting.
Nightmute, Alaska: 17 yr. old Kay Connell has been found murdered. Having just flown in from L.A's robbery/homcide unit, Will & Hap are treated by the locals as heroes; surely they can solve this case. Although revered back in the lower 48, the duo DOES have a history of professional issues that haunt them. And during their 1st night in town, Hap drops a bomb on Will: that he's going to cut a deal with Internal Affairs when they return to Los Angeles. Angry (at the prospect of seeing the criminals they've put away be set free) & conflicted, Will drudges on, trying to focus on the case at hand. Officer Ellie Burr (Hilary Swank) is ecstatic to have them for this investigation. And before long, they've narrowed the suspects down to one, Walter Finch (a cold, mechanical Robin Williams).
After a long chase along a dense, foggy coastline, Will fires his gun at the assailant. Mistakenly, he shoots Hap, subsequently killing him. Hap's final sentiments to Will? That he shot him on purpose to prevent him from testifying! Now Will is more troubled than ever. He can't sleep (as summer in Nightmute results in 12 hours of sunlight during the night), he hasn't caught the killer, & he's forced to create an alibi now; so that he isn't framed for intentionally killing his partner. Walter sees & hears everything that's taken place, and will use it as power over Will. In his own diabolical mind, Walter now sees them as partners; one secret for another. And as days of sleep deprivation further clouds Will's mind, can he come out on top? Can he still reel Walter in? Or has Walter won the battle of wits?
'Insomnia' is a very stylish thriller. It's rhythmic, methodical, & increasingly tense (as Will falls deeper & deeper into sleep-deprived delusions). The complexity of this murder case, plus the sleep deprivation, plus his partner's death makes Will utterly fragile (emotionally). Watching his tired deterioration is something to behold. And not only is 'Insomnia' an engrossing cop drama, but it's beautiful to look at. Early in the film, the camera swoops over a small plane that's flying above some of Alaska's barren, icy wasteland ... gorgeous! The Alaskan wilderness made for some stunning photography. And cinematographer, Wally Pfister, creates some wonderfully distorted images throughout the film. i.e., Will's desperate attempts to shut out the midnight sun from inside his hotel room.
Pacino is great as the increasingly unstable Will. Yes, he has to play these cat-&-mouse games with Walter Finch, but he's battling his own tormented soul, as well. Is Will a hero? Are his successes more pertinent than his sins? Pacino plays the moral ambiguities of his character flawlessly. As mentioned, Robin Williams is chilling in his low-key serial killer portrayal. And Hilary Swank takes a break from her normally Oscar baity roles in playing a simple officer who's conducting her own private investigation on the side. Even though the film has its dull or melancholic moments, the beauty of it is that it effectively instills a cold dread in you as you watch. It's often nerve-rattling. The psychological aspects of it are astute. And something even more interesting: though the plot is quite ordinary, Nolan is always turning the dial a tad to the left or a tad to the right. 'Insomnia' is effectively creepy. Just don't watch it when you have insomnia, yourself {winks}.
Nightmute, Alaska: 17 yr. old Kay Connell has been found murdered. Having just flown in from L.A's robbery/homcide unit, Will & Hap are treated by the locals as heroes; surely they can solve this case. Although revered back in the lower 48, the duo DOES have a history of professional issues that haunt them. And during their 1st night in town, Hap drops a bomb on Will: that he's going to cut a deal with Internal Affairs when they return to Los Angeles. Angry (at the prospect of seeing the criminals they've put away be set free) & conflicted, Will drudges on, trying to focus on the case at hand. Officer Ellie Burr (Hilary Swank) is ecstatic to have them for this investigation. And before long, they've narrowed the suspects down to one, Walter Finch (a cold, mechanical Robin Williams).
After a long chase along a dense, foggy coastline, Will fires his gun at the assailant. Mistakenly, he shoots Hap, subsequently killing him. Hap's final sentiments to Will? That he shot him on purpose to prevent him from testifying! Now Will is more troubled than ever. He can't sleep (as summer in Nightmute results in 12 hours of sunlight during the night), he hasn't caught the killer, & he's forced to create an alibi now; so that he isn't framed for intentionally killing his partner. Walter sees & hears everything that's taken place, and will use it as power over Will. In his own diabolical mind, Walter now sees them as partners; one secret for another. And as days of sleep deprivation further clouds Will's mind, can he come out on top? Can he still reel Walter in? Or has Walter won the battle of wits?
'Insomnia' is a very stylish thriller. It's rhythmic, methodical, & increasingly tense (as Will falls deeper & deeper into sleep-deprived delusions). The complexity of this murder case, plus the sleep deprivation, plus his partner's death makes Will utterly fragile (emotionally). Watching his tired deterioration is something to behold. And not only is 'Insomnia' an engrossing cop drama, but it's beautiful to look at. Early in the film, the camera swoops over a small plane that's flying above some of Alaska's barren, icy wasteland ... gorgeous! The Alaskan wilderness made for some stunning photography. And cinematographer, Wally Pfister, creates some wonderfully distorted images throughout the film. i.e., Will's desperate attempts to shut out the midnight sun from inside his hotel room.
Pacino is great as the increasingly unstable Will. Yes, he has to play these cat-&-mouse games with Walter Finch, but he's battling his own tormented soul, as well. Is Will a hero? Are his successes more pertinent than his sins? Pacino plays the moral ambiguities of his character flawlessly. As mentioned, Robin Williams is chilling in his low-key serial killer portrayal. And Hilary Swank takes a break from her normally Oscar baity roles in playing a simple officer who's conducting her own private investigation on the side. Even though the film has its dull or melancholic moments, the beauty of it is that it effectively instills a cold dread in you as you watch. It's often nerve-rattling. The psychological aspects of it are astute. And something even more interesting: though the plot is quite ordinary, Nolan is always turning the dial a tad to the left or a tad to the right. 'Insomnia' is effectively creepy. Just don't watch it when you have insomnia, yourself {winks}.