Nowhere near Nolan's best but still quite good

Rating: 7/10 (23 October 2014)

Insomnia is probably the least of Christopher Nolan's films. That's not all that surprising when you consider it's not an original Nolan work but a remake of an earlier Norwegian film. What also should not be surprising is that even a lesser Christopher Nolan film is still a really good film. The guy doesn't make bad movies. Insomnia may lack the uniqueness of his original works. But this movie still has a compelling story to tell. And Nolan is more than up to the challenge of delivering that story in a fashion which is both entertaining and thought-provoking.
The story centers around Los Angeles police detective Will Dormer who along with his partner has traveled to a small Alaskan town to assist with a murder investigation. Dormer is a notably famous cop, a hero, but left behind in Los Angeles is an internal affairs investigation which threatens to undo his life's work. As he lands in Alaska this weighs heavily on his mind. And things are about to get a whole lot worse. In the course of hunting down the Alaskan killer Dormer makes a huge, catastrophic mistake. If discovered this error really will bring Dormer's life crashing down. Crucially none of the Alaskan police he works with know what he has done. Unfortunately for Dormer one person does know: the killer. And now the killer sees himself as Dormer's partner. They're going to help one another get away with their respective misdeeds. Wracked by guilt, in a terrible moral quandary, what will Dormer do? He really is in a terrible state, made much worse by the fact he can't sleep at all. What's really keeping him awake? Is it the perpetual Alaskan sunlight? Or is it his own guilty conscience?
The role of Dormer is pretty much perfect for Al Pacino who brings both a sense of authority and a great weariness to the role. Dormer, successful though he may be, is really being beaten down by life and up in Alaska things are only getting worse. The guy is crumbling and Pacino captures that very well. The other key performance comes from Robin Williams who shows up halfway through the film inhabiting a character who is quite unlike anything you'd expect from this particular actor. The film provides a chance for Williams to show off some serious acting chops and he delivers. Pacino and Williams play off one another brilliantly, the tension between their two characters is palpable and it drives the film forward. Hilary Swank has an important role as well, playing a young Alaskan police officer who idolizes Dormer but who does a little digging and realizes there may be some very bad things the famous detective has hidden away. To what lengths will Dormer go to protect those dangerous secrets? That is the crux of this film's plot. It's not your typical good guy/bad guy story. The lines between good and bad are not just blurred, they're completely wiped away. It's a smart story which really grabs you. And the film is photographed beautifully. The light might be forever shining but there is true darkness lurking here. Story, performances, photography...everything comes together very well. Even in a film which is not nearly his best effort Christopher Nolan produces something quite excellent.