One of the films of the year!

Rating: 9/10 (6 September 2002)

***SPOILERS*** ***SPOILERS*** Al Pacino, Robin Williams, Hilary Swank all in the same film, it must be good, and it is. From Christopher Nolan, acclaimed British director of Memento, comes Insomnia.
This is an exquisitely shot movie, directed with Oscar worthy assurance from Nolan and has three Oscar winners at the top of their game. This is one of the best films of the year, with of the blockbusting popcorn munchers like Star Wars and Spiderman, this is a great movie that requires thought and is a welcome change of pace, as was Minority Report earlier in the year. For every couple of blockbusters that come out you need a good intelligent film like this as well.
The story is this, in a small town in Alaska, a 17 year old girl has been murdered. Al Pacino's character Will Dormer and his partner are sent up to help the local law enforcement. The main reason for their temporary relocation is that Dormer and his partner are under investigation from Internal affairs. Dormers partner wants to cut a deal with them for the sake of his families but this would mean that Dormer would come under close scrutiny. Dormer doesn't want this as it could mean that if they dig up some dirt on him all his cases over the years will be questioned, and then murderers and rapists that he put away would be released. Dormer becomes angered by his partner, and it later becomes clear that their was dirt on him. Dormer had planted evidence on a child murderer to send him down, this was because there wasn't enough evidence to put him away, Dormer knew he did it and did what he thought was right, this raises the question `what would you do?' this is an involving thriller. Anyway, the investigations lead the law enforcement to a beach house where the killer emerges, and during a chase and shootout Dormer accidentally shoots down his partner and kills him. Dormer claims that the Williams character did it, and then covers his tracks by planting evidence and making sure he's in the clear. This leads Will to lose sleep, hence the title Insomnia, he his haunted by his dead partner and the guilt of breaking the law. Then Finch, played by Williams calls him. Finch knows that Dormer killed his partner and he claims that the murder of the girl was accidental. He tries to relate to Will, pointing out that they have a lot in common, in respect of suffering from Insomnia and the nature of their killings. The film is great in dealing with the relationship with Pacino and Williams, you never quite know whether Dormer will actually help clear Finch of the murder (which would mean sending an innocent kid to jail) and the scenes with Pacino and Williams together are excellent.
The acting is first rate, Pacino is on top form and could well see his name on the nomination lists for the Academy awards, as could Robin Williams. He is brilliant in this film playing the killer, who is not your typical movie psycho. I thought that it may be difficult to take him seriously but he is really good, and proves what a top rate actor he is, not once did the words Nanu Nanu enter my head. Hilary Swanks is also very good. The rest of the cast were first rate.
Overall this is a very good thriller, not once did it drag, the performances where as you would expect from Oscar winners and it had a fresh take on your typical crime thrillers. It is a brilliant remake of a well respected, if little known, Norwegian film. While not as revolutionary as Memento in its style, it is equally as watchable. This is not to be missed. 10/10