Nolan's Most Underrated

Rating: 9/10 (5 November 2014)

It's Interstellar week so my quest to go back and review all of Christopher Nolan's previous films continues.
It seems weird calling Insomnia Christopher Nolan's most underrated movie considering I also think it's his worst film. But saying it's his worst is saying a lot. Insomnia is a brilliant psychological crime thriller that has a lot of the same beats as other police dramas but it definitely has the Nolan flavor along with it. It's about a detective Will Dormer, played by Al Pacino, who is forced to take up a case in Alaska with his partner in order to save his job because of previous mishaps on a case. The case is one of Kay Connel, a fan of Walter Finch's crime novels.
As the movie progresses not only does Dormer have trouble sleeping, hence the title, but has to face his inner demons and mistakes he has made that have shaped an inescapable position. Pacino is brilliant in this film and plays well off of Robin Williams, who plays a surprisingly terrifying villain. I think this is another case of the acting in Nolan's films being overlooked. Nolan always creates great material for his actors to work with and puts them in perfect positions, but only one acting academy nomination has ever come from one of his films. I'm not sure Williams or Pacino's performances should have won Oscars but they are definitely under-appreciated.
It's hard not to mention Hilary Swank who gives another incredible performance in a movie that she could have easily been overshadowed by two of the all time greats. Insomnia is one of the all time great crime films and I really hope that after Interstellar Nolan moves back into that genre and maybe even brings back Pacino for something. Perhaps something less cerebral than Inception but captures the intensity that Insomnia does, with the incredible characters of The Prestige. Go check out Insomnia and you will be pleased with the outcome.
+One of Pacino's last great performances
+Intense and thought provoking (as usual with Nolan)
+Swank's overlooked performance
+Williams creepy villain
+Nolan directing a crime film
-Ending a bit of letdown compared to other Nolan films
9.3/10