Another Nolan Masterpiece.

Rating: 8/10 (2 May 2008)

Following the success of his sleeper hit Memento, Christopher Nolan has once again managed to achieve similar results with this remake of the 1997 Norwegian film of the same name.
The film is set in Nightmute, Alaska which is in perpetual daylight due to its (misrepresented) 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 you're already 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.