Pacino And Nolan Delivers One Great Psychodrama

Rating: 10/10 (30 November 2011)

Insomnia is a psychological thriller film.It is a remake of the 1997 Norwegian film of the same title.It stars Academy Award winners namely: Al Pacino, Robin Williams, and Hilary Swank together with Martin Donovan,Paul Dooley, Nicky Katt, Maura Tierney, and Jonathan Jackson. It was directed by Christopher Nolan,which happens to be his follow-up film after Memento.
In Insomnia,Detective Will Dormer, a Los Angeles Police Department legend who temporarily escapes an internal affairs investigation that may ruin his career by traveling to Nightmute, Alaska, the remote site of a murder that has the local authorities flummoxed. Along with his partner, Hap Eckhart, and the small town's wide-eyed rookie investigator, Ellie Burr, the exhausted Dormer probes the brutal slaying of a teenage girl who was rumored to have a secret lover. A clever ruse quickly lures the killer into a police trap, but the suspect escapes and a tragic accident at the scene leaves Dormer at the mercy of the murderer, a pulp crime novelist named Walter Finch. As Finch plays a dangerous game of extortion with Dormer, the detective's mental health deteriorates rapidly from guilt over his complicity in a crime and sleep deprivation compounded by the lack of darkness in the land of the midnight sun. Meanwhile, the bright and dogged Ellie continues putting the pieces of a complex puzzle together despite Dormer's skillful attempts to lead the investigation toward the right suspect, but away from his own malfeasance.
Insomnia proves once again why Christopher Nolan is one of the best directors we have today.It was well-made,well-written,stylish and truly enigmatic that does not lack tension,drama and suspense.It was a thriller whose style, structure and rhythms are so integrated with the story, you cannot separate them.It was interesting from beginning to end especially with Pacino,who delivers one of the best performances,as the insomniac police detective who makes the picture interesting.He was outstanding that we are able to sympathize with the moral complexities of his character.Aside from him,special mention also goes to Williams as the child murders who was excellent with his scenes with Pacino and Hillary Swank,who was never left behind with the great acting abilities of his co-stars.This is an great excellent film that one should never miss.