a frequently overlooked gem

Rating: 8/10 (19 November 2017)

Al Pacino stars as a Los Angeles homicide detective sent along with is partner Martin Donovan to the small town of Nightmute, Alaska to help with the investigation of a brutal homicide. They have partly been sent because local police chief Paul Dooley is a retired LA cop, but also because Internal Affairs has been investigating them and their boss wants them out of town. Donovan reveals to Pacino that he's been considering cooperating, a move that would ruin Pacino. While tracking down the murderer, a brutal accident puts Pacino in the hot seat. He tries to cover up his involvement, while suffering from insomnia due to the 24 hour daylight in this part of the world. Local rookie cop Hilary Swank, a great admirer of Pacino's, starts to realize something is wrong ... and the murderer (Robin Williams) himself contacts Pacino, revealing he knows what really happened and that he can help them both. This seems to be the least talked about of Nolan's films, which is a shame because it's a sharp and interesting remake of the 1997 Norwegian film that starred Stellan Skarsgard in Pacino's role. It's not a carbon copy of the original film, going different places with the same material. It's also one of the last really strong performances we got from Pacino.