A cut above the typical crime drama

Rating: 7/10 (12 May 2012)

The story has L.A. detectives Will Dormer (Al Pacino) and Hap Eckhardt dispatched to Alaska to help solve a brutal murder of a young woman. Local detective Ellie Burr (Hilary Swank), who regards Dormer as one of her heroes, is tasked to work with Dormer and Eckhardt.
With that setup I was expecting the usual police procedural but the plot thickens early on when we learn that Dormer and Eckhardt are being investigated by the L.A. Police Department for some shady dealings regarding a previous case. And Eckhardt confides to Dormer that he is about to cut a deal that would implicate his partner, a confession that Dormer does not take with gentlemanly grace.
Things get interesting when, in pursuit of the murderer in a heavy fog, Dormer shoots Eckhardt. Did he do it on purpose, or was it an accident? Complications ensue when Burr starts to smell a fish when investigating Dormer's story of the shooting. I liked the concept of the investigator being investigated.
When the murderer, Walter Finch (Robin Williams), senses that Dormer is getting hot on his trail he preempts the pursuit by calling Dormer and saying that he has seen the shooting of Eckhardt and can use that for blackmail. The cat and mouse game that Finch and Dormer play is well scripted and engaging.
The main thing that separates this from average are the deep insights given into Dormer's psychology. The confusion in his own mind as to whether he purposely shot his friend Eckhardt makes him a haunted and guilt-driven man. His situation is almost identical to that of Gene in "A Separate Peace" after having caused harm to his friend Finney. Dormer's behavior in the case that he is being investigated for in L.A. also weighs on him. With the death of Eckhardt he has no one to unburden to and having the need to talk about his past he finally tells his story to the woman who runs the hotel where he is staying. This may be a plot device in order for the audience to know just what Dormer is being investigated for, but, given his state of mind, it is believable.
Pacino does an admirable job in portraying the gradual decay of Dormer's mental health accompanied by his slide into total exhaustion due to insomnia precipitated by being where it never gets dark. Robin Williams is a standout in the role of the bad guy. The thing that makes his portrayal so chilling is his calm confidence and seeming detachment when talking about his crime. The contrast between him and Dormer sets up a nice contrast. Hilary Swank is good in playing the young enthusiastic detective. All together a good cast.
The final fight and shoot-'em-up scene was at odds with the restrained tone of the rest of the movie. I was not aware of the Norwegian original before having seen this version. Many people point to that as being better, so that is encouragement to see the original.