Suspense thriller delivers.

Rating: 8/10 (24 August 2003)

Al Pacino plays Will Dormer, a Los Angeles detective sent to Alaska to investigate a local murder. He and his partner are under investigation by Internal Affairs and their captain decides they need to get out of town for awhile. Christopher Nolan ("Memento") directs this remake of a 1997 Norwegian film of the same name. The title refers to the fact that they're so far north that there's 24 hours of sunlight in the summer and it's hard for newcomers to sleep.
Pacino plays a familiar role, that of a world-weary cop (see "Heat"), but he's so good at it I didn't mind. During the course of trailing the killer, he accidentally shoots his partner who came up from LA with him. The situation is complicated by the fact that his partner was about to testify against him for planting evidence on a murder suspect. Dormer can't tell the truth because no one will believe him so he lies, and the lies lead to more lies and more bad police work.
Other actors who turn in good performances are Robin Williams as the wacked out killer. I never would have guessed it ten years ago, but he's turned into a pretty good character actor when it comes to creepy parts. Hillary Swank stands out as the local police officer who idolizes Dormer - she studied his casework while in the academy. She's young and idealistic, everything Dormer used to be, and it's interesting to see the interplay between the two as Dormer tries to hide what he knows she's going to find out eventually.
The cinematography is excellent - Wally Pfister returns from "Memento." The Alaska scenery is overpowering, perhaps suggesting the smallness of the people who live there. The constant daylight interspersed with dreary rain and fog accentuate the state of mind Pacino's character is going through, the mental deterioration from lack of sleep and the stress of having to hide the facts about his partner's death. There is never any night time, and despite the attraction of the younger female cop, no romantic interest to help him forget. It's just Pacino getting more and more stressed out.

I really enjoyed this film. The direction and acting were excellent all around.