Solid thriller with strong acting

Rating: Null/10 (4 April 2003)

Glad to be getting away from the Internal Affairs investigation in their department in LA, Will Dormer and his partner Hap Eckhart fly up to assist on a murder case in Alaska. Will quickly makes the progress that his reputation led young officer Ellie Burr to expect. However when a suspect is chased through fog, Will accidentally shoots Hap. He covers it up and blames the suspect, conscious that IAD will assume that he killed Hap to prevent him cutting a deal with them. However later he gets a call from the killer who saw the whole thing and is holding it over Will in return for him framing someone else. With fewer options and Ellie investigating the shooting, Will finds himself unable to sleep in the 24 hour sunshine and getting increasingly strung out.
Better known as part 2 of Robin Williams proving he can do more than just sentimental crap, I was looking forward to seeing it. I haven't seen the original film so I can't contrast the two and say which is better - I could only judge this on its own merits. I found the film to be a very enjoyable thriller that was very atmospheric. The story itself is quite intriguing and is at its best when Will and Walter are playing cat and mouse games with each other. The main investigation and the investigation into Hap's shooting all add to the intensity.
Although it is quite slow at times it is actually well paced - some fast paced exciting moments but mostly dialogue driven scenes that are just as exciting. The direction is excellent and the whole film has a bright crisp feel to it. The final shot of the film is powerful yet still, with the protagonists frozen against a background of lake and mountains.
The film's main driver is the strength of the performances. Williams is excellent, I was never sure what to make of his character because Williams kept him complex enough to hold the interest. Pacino is also great. He actually looks dog tired progressively through the film. Like Williams, his character has enough meat on it to be of interest and when either of them was on the screen, my interest was guaranteed . Swank had a difficult task to play opposite Pacino in the majority of her scenes but she really holds her own. Donovan is good but brief, but to be honest it is Pacino and Williams' film the whole way.
Overall this is a classy little thriller that has more than enough going on to keep it interesting. The plot is well written so that it avoids a simplistic good/evil approach and the performances bring the well-drawn characters to life.