Gripping crime drama

Rating: 9/10 (7 January 2016)

Reviewed by Martin Davis, Retrospect Film on Facebook. Having directed the critically acclaimed and commercially successful 'Memento' and before his hugely impressive relaunching of the Batman franchise, Christopher Nolan directed this tense and gripping crime drama. A remake of the 1997 Norwegian film of the same name, 'Insomnia' sees world weary LAPD detective Will Dormer (Al Pacino) and his partner Hap Eckhart (Martin Donovan) assigned to investigate the murder of a teenage girl in a small Alaskan town. Early in the film we learn Dormer and Eckhart are themselves under investigation by Internal Affairs. Much to Dormers frustration, Eckhart confesses he has agreed to an immunity deal if he testifies against one of his partners past cases. With tensions running high between the two, a trap is laid for the girls killer. When Dormer accidentally shoots and kills his colleague as they stake out and then give chase to their suspect in the Alaskan fog the only witness is the suspect himself. Dormer knows whilst he is under investigation the accidental killing of his colleague will come under scrutiny and blames the escaped suspect. The scene is set for a riveting game of cat and mouse between the detective and the, as yet, unknown killer. Over the next few days Dormer is unable to sleep due to the guilt of shooting Eckhart and the perpetual Alaskan daylight. Growing increasingly paranoid and hallucinating, he then starts to receive anonymous phone calls from the man he is searching for. Dormer eventually finds him, an author living in a nearby town named Walter Finch, played in fine understated form by the late Robin Williams. There is to be no straightforward arrest though. Both men harbour terrible secrets about each other. Meanwhile, an ambitious young local cop, Ellie Burr (Hilary Swank) is starting to put the pieces together about the killing in the fog and to realise all is not as it seems. The net is starting to close in on both the hunted and the hunter. Much less your standard cop hunts killer crime film and more an enthralling psychological drama 'Insomnia', amongst others, confirms Nolan as one of the best modern filmmakers. With excellent performances by Pacino, Williams and Swank and cinematography that captures perfectly the bleak Alaskan landscape 'Insomnia' is not to be missed. Martin Davis, Retrospect Film on Facebook