Atmospheric, tangled thriller

Rating: 7/10 (16 July 2016)

A veteran detective with skeletons in his closet, whisked away to a foreign land (for whatever reason) - it's been done many times. Most of the time, the "is he dirty or isn't he?" routine is frustrating ("Black Rain", "Boom Town", "Rising Sun", etc.). BUt it's different with "Insomnia"; you pretty much know the main character is a dirty cop, so it's really about the walls closing in, which is actually refreshing. And it adds levels.
Other than that, it's the talent of the main cast that makes this fresh. Pacino, Swank and Williams are all terrific (although Williams is perfectly at home with quietly deranged; it's beyond creepy). And Pacino is well-suited for a guy who can't get any sleep. He makes run-down look easy.
7/10