Recommended

Rating: 7/10 (17 July 2007)

"A good cop can't sleep because a piece of the puzzle is missing, a bad cop can't sleep because his conscience is bothering him".
This was Christopher Nolan's first movie after the mind-blowing "Memento" (2000), which granted him an Oscar nomination. It is about a police detective (Pacino) who was sent from the city to investigate the murder of a teenage girl in a small Alaska town. He accidentally shoots his own partner while trying to apprehend a suspect. Instead of admitting his guilt, the detective is given an unexpected alibi, but this "solution" only multiplies the emotional complexity and guilt over his partner's death. Furthermore, there's also a local detective (Swank) who is conducting an investigation of his partner's death...
The two main characters are remarkably well-drawn by first-time screenwriter Hillary Seitz and brilliantly personified by Al Pacino and by Robin Williams who is a revelation in what may be one of the best performances of his career. Pacino is even better, portraying his character's experience and determination as a detective while fully embodying the fatigue that'skilling him. He can't seem to get any shut-eye, even after taping his hotel room shades closed in a failed attempt to keep out the midnight sun, so common of Alaska.
The only negative comment I can make about the movie is Hillary Swank's performance. She is a lost character swimming in a tide too strong for her, completely left out and erased by the brilliant performances by Al Pacino and Williams.
Strongly recommended action thriller. 7/10