There's nothing sleepy whatsoever about thrilling "Insomnia"

Rating: Null/10 (19 June 2002)

"Insomnia" is a unique movie for one particular reason: Rarely have I come across a picture that is strikingly compelling due to its stereotypes. This is another excellent entry in the murder-mystery genre to come down the pike in the past several months, proceeding last year's "From Hell" and, more recently, the grossly underrated "Murder By Numbers."
Al Pacino stars as Will Dormer, a Los Angeles detective sent to the minuscule town of Nightmute, Alaska to assist in the investigation of the murder of a 17-year-old girl. From the moment he sets foot in the police station, he immediately begins barking orders to his coworkers like Tommy Lee Jones in "The Fugitive." A cliche Mutt-and-Jeff interrogation session with the first suspect, the victim's sleazy, abusive boyfriend (Jonathan Jackson), in an empty classroom soon follows.
As he attempts to apprehend a suspect holed up in a wooden shack, Dormer, almost completely blinded by the fog-enshrouded surroundings, inadvertently shoots and kills his partner, Eckhart (Martin Donovan). He immediately compounds his fatal mistake by hiding his guilt and not telling anyone about it, even going as far as resorting to evidence tampering when he replaces the bullet from his gun with a slug from the suspect's discarded .38 revolver.
The evidence regarding the girl's murder suddenly takes a turn and points to Walter Finch (Robin Williams), a mystery writer idolized by the victim, as she owned many of his books. Dormer, his world already a living hell that's gradually increasing due to his partner's death and the Alaskan atmosphere (the sun is still shining in full force even after hours), finds himself playing impromptu phone tag with Finch. The film then becomes a game of human chess of sorts as both men meet in different locations, ranging from ferryboats to desolate roadsides in order to exchange words. Dormer goes as far to plant evidence in Finch's apartment (which is just as poorly lit as nearly every other indoor location in the film despite the sun shining round the clock). Meanwhile, local detective Ellie Burr (Hilary Swank) begins to conduct an investigation of her own: Eckhart's death. These two subplots graft together to form a mildly exciting yet somewhat predictable climax.
To make a long story short, the acting is superb. As the emotionally tormented officer, this is easily Pacino's best role since the superb 1997 thriller "Donnie Brasco." On the other side of the coin, after the utterly horrible "Death to Smoochy" (which, if not for "Resident Evil," would undisputedly be the worst film of the year), Williams is terrific as Finch, though the character is a bit of a mild Hannibal Lecter ripoff with the "killer-playing-mind-games" schtick; still, it's a refreshing change from his usual, comically overblown screen personas. Swank, despite being given time to shine on her own as she tries to solve the case of Eckhart's death, is not as convincing as Burr, but it's somewhat understandable considering she's all but overshadowed by her Academy Award-winning brethren.
Unlike the unconventional "Murder by Numbers," "Insomnia" pretty much plays by the familiar crime-thriller book: a body is found, clues gathered (in which the one crucial piece of evidence pops up near the end), primarily in dingy, dirty locations, capped off with the big showdown of good against evil. It's a timeworn pattern that's been repeated time and again, and yet I still feel that rush of excitement whenever these scenes occur. Such otherwise been-there-done-that scenes are instead suspenseful and played out beautifully, making them worth keeping your eyes on, and this is no exception. It's just something I never get tired of. It's what separates the great films from the rest of the pack.
"Insomnia" is not a film that will bowl you over or bombast you with jolting imagery like "Murder By Numbers" or "Seven," but it is a solid film nevertheless. While the script does suffer from occasional slowdowns due to any real lack of energy, it is the essential thinking person's movie that allows us to interact with its involving plot and characters while keeping us guessing, which is what really counts. After all, isn't that the best thing about mysteries in the first place? 8.5/10