Witty, Clever and Lacking Something

Rating: Null/10 (13 June 2002)

Let me begin by saying that yes, all three of the lead performers do give wonderful performances. The acting is top notch in the film as you have no doubt heard from countless other reviews and friends.
I don't want to deal with the acting so instead I'll work right into the two most important aspects of this film. First is the script. The script alone is worthy of praise. It is insanely clever in it's own right, toying with the characters like dolls. The audience is left feeling overwhelmed by the amount of information that they know, and the characters on screen do not. A brilliant use of Dramatic Irony at it's best can be seen in an early action sequence.
Al Pacino is chasing a murderer through a foggy and foreboding landscape when suddenly he sees the killer and shoots ... but everything is not as it seems. Many of the scenes that follow seem confusing to the characters but are oddly touching to the audience because we understand what they do not. The script treats the audience with respect by letting them do their own deciding and thinking. We are never forced to like any of the characters, it is on our own terms that we decide. I'm still torn over the Robin Williams character.
Moving onto the second important aspect of the film we must move into the territory of the director, Mr. Christopher Nolan. The imagery in the film is undoubtedly picturesque but I found myself questioning if perhaps that was the look this film required? Many of the scenes from Al Pacino's perspective are effective in relaying his insomnia, but do we really need to be shown these things? They only act to isolate us further from the 'hero' of the film. Perhaps Nolan is playing on the instincts of the script ... or perhaps not.
The overall visual aspect of the film feels low rent, as if it was made for television. Many of the characters look overly glossy in their regular everyday apartments in Alaska. The camera affects look too experimental, as if Nolan felt he needed to insert a type of individual flare into every sequence. Many of the cuts in the editting feel too jarring as though we are watching a music video. The opening sequence left me with a headache and blurred vision.
Overall I found Insomnia enjoyable, although it does pander a little bit toward the end of the second act. With dialogue and scripting that will blow any literature afficianado out of the water it is certainly worth seeing or at least hearing. However the visual style seems to loose something in the translation from independent (Memento) to big budget (Insomnia).
Not Nolan's best film but certainly a more interesting choice.