A bone-chilling masterpiece

Rating: 10/10 (18 May 2009)

Al Pacino is an L.A. cop who's come to Alaska with his partner to investigate a brutal homicide. Hilary Swank is the Alaskan detective who admires his work and methods. Robin Williams is the killer they're hunting down. (All three are Oscar winners by the way, and deliver performances that are definitely worthy of an Oscar.) Throughout the film, Pacino's character's mind wreaks havoc; the Alaskan town is so far up north, they get "white nights" (I.e. the sun doesn't set for half the year). As a result, he cannot sleep.
With "Insomnia", Christopher Nolan joins my list of directors I admire. "Insomnia" owes much of its stunning success to the directorial choices Nolan makes. The most difficult task of the movie is this: how exactly can you show the audience Pacino's increasingly disoriented, sleepless mind-frame, without boring them? I think Nolan handles this expertly.
The cast deliver stellar performances, in particular Robin Williams. His character is undoubtedly psychotic. What a temptation for Williams to steal the show with a display of angry shouting, of pure psychopathic hostility, of maniacal laughter! But no. He avoids this and goes for a far different touch. His character talks of extremely disturbing things in a very calm, matter-of-fact way, making his performance far more bone-chilling. As much as I love Williams' comic roles, I have to admit he's practically unrivalled in "serious" acting.
Another thought: although this is a film I like to consider a thriller, it is very much like a film noir as well. Personally, I love the plots of film noirs, but I can't stand the relentless usage of shadows and dark lighting. "Insomnia" shatters these guidelines. It is a very dark film with lots and lots of light. The effect is interesting to say the least.
This film is a thriller, and consequently, I'm choosing my words carefully in order to spoil as little of the film as possible. I highly recommend seeing this film— I was blown away. "Insomnia" is also very deep, powerfully invoking themes of guilt and restlessness. I do not regret buying this film: I confidently call it a great movie.
Note: Apparently, "Insomnia" is a remake of a 1997 Norwegian film starring Stellan Skarsgård. I haven't seen it, but if it was anything close to as good as this film, whoever does see it is in for a real treat!