Spoiler [read no further if you have not seen it!!]

Rating: Null/10 (30 August 2002)

Murder stories are not new , however original plot twists can be, [dont read any further if you have NOT watched it] the one thing it does have going for it. Yes it starts off, as the usual "who killed the college girl in a small sleepy town" [not sleepy enough for Mr Pacino unfortunately hence "Insomnia"] and tends to amble along at an unhurried pace. But then due to an unfortunate twist Mr Pacino ends up killing his partner accidently [we hope]. How unlucky can someone be, only more so when it turns out his fleeing murder suspect [Robin Williams] sees the whole show. Worse still when he winds up fixing evidence, telling lies and generally not being as "straight" a cop as he should be. The fact his partner was about to do a deal with "internal affairs" regarding Mr Pacinos handling of a previous case makes "our hero,s" conscience even more uneasy. From then on its our murder suspect calling the shots, blackmailing our slightly tarnished hero, and the pace of the film steps up a bit as Al wrestles with his conscience, evidence, and its obvious that things are slowly going against him.Its certain Miss Swank is on to him,that theres something wrong, but of course the film is now nearing its climax [theres an inevitable shoot out] until the film all winds up very neatly, with no loose ends. Al dies, Robin Williams dies, leaving Hilary Swank [who was almost the next victim] to either bury the evidence [regarding Al,s misdeeds] or make it public, you are left with the feeling she will make it all known. All the main characters are believable, but we hear little of their lives, loves, or background, and maybe we do not need to. The cast is relatively small, so keeping track of whos who, is nice and easy for a change.Credit to the make-up dept for making Mr Pacino look like he had not slept for months, made me tired just watching him try to stay awake. One of the better "who dunnits" of recent times , but just not quite reaching that "greatness", but well worth watching.