No time for Sleeping

Rating: 7/10 (18 July 2016)

Right from the opening credits the mood of quiet tension never lets up. The strong contrast between the icy landscape and blood leaking all over a material isn't there just to be a cool visual. We see our protagonist Will Dormer, a weary detective whose face looks burdened by the troubles that follow him. An insomniac, hunted by internal affairs for his suspect methods and now sent to investigate a murder in a remote town where the sun never sets. It's a question of how long before he snaps.
Pacino is on top form in the type of role he's always excelled in. Tough and experienced after years in the job, but emotionally vulnerable and perpetually on the edge for exactly the same reason. His younger partner Eckhart is willing to dish out information on him. The turning point comes when a trap set for the killer goes wrong and Dormer kills Eckhart after mistaking him in the fog. There's no doubting that it was an accident, but Dormer knows that with the case against him he has no chance of making such a claim. He manages to just about suppress his guilt and concoct a story that lets him off clean. There's one major problem for him however, the killer knows that he did it.
Insomnia isn't just a moody title, it's a reflection of Dormer's mind-set as a whole. How a man's mental state has become so damaged that his morality and ethics have become blurred. It questions how far he's willing to go to do what he knows is right deep down, even if it goes against the very principles he's lived by his entire life. The permanent daylight of Alaska serves to highlight his insomnia in a visual sense, bringing it to forefront so there's no place for him to hide. Too often films of this ilk try to add some kind of quirk or motif without giving it a reasoning or representation. But it's something that is handled impressively here.
Bar Pacino, two performances really standout. The first being Hilary Swank as the plucky Ellie Burr, a role she plays to perfection. She never goes for the typical rookie cop trying to impress, she instead plays it audacious but collected, someone who wants to do the right thing but understands the difficulties that come with the job. The second is Robin Williams as the killer Finch. It never ceases to amaze me how someone so funny can reach such depths and play such disturbed characters. It's comparable to his part in 'One Hour Photo', released the same year. He takes an understated approach, making Finch more unnerving than raving and it works in give the role an edge.
The relationship between Dormer and Finch actually turns out to be one of the highlights. We very rarely get a thriller that makes such a valid connection between the hero and villain. It is clear that the two of them share the same psychological problems. Insomnia haunts their every step. Notably their both trying to achieve the same thing, clearing their names. Finch wants to people to think he's innocent and Dormer wants to pin Eckhart's death on anyone but himself. Their relationship is fascinating for how manipulative it is. Both latch on to each other despite appearing to be polar opposites because they need to work together to survive.
There are a couple of occasions where things can happen a little too conveniently or the plot ties together too neatly. Some of the action sequences feel a little out of place given the tone, though the chase across the logs is handled excellently. Nolan's reliance on the bigger picture can sometimes lead to the little details being forgotten about or hastily connected. However the story itself is a nice antidote to his previous film 'Memento'. While that film was chained so tightly to its gimmick that there was no room for anything to breathe or develop, Insomnia is much sparser and atmospheric. More interested in building tension through fog and isolation. It allows the characters to soak up the ghostly settings and for that to play into their psychology.
Why the film drew Nolan's attention is obvious. It plays on themes that he finds interesting, mainly the troubled morality of the central character. Whereas most thrillers are interested in the details of the investigation and the crime, Insomnia makes a wise choice to instead examine the mind-set of Dormer and how he is distressed by his choices. The brightness proves a crucial aspect. Despite the murky underside of the case, the light is always on Dormer. He has nowhere to hide his feelings, even sleep has rejected him.