Arguably... Christopher Nolan's Weakest Film To Date.

Rating: Null/10 (14 October 2013)

Christopher Nolan's first stint with a major Hollywood studio is a remake of the Norwegian thriller of the same name and is termed by many critics to be one of the rare instances of an American remake done right. I haven't seen the original so I can't compare the two but one can make out that it tries to carve its own identity instead of following the same footsteps.
The story of Insomnia concerns Will Dormer; a Los Angeles homicide detective who, along with another detective, is dispatched to a small Alaskan town to investigate the methodical murder of a local teen. When an attempt to apprehend the suspect results in a tragic incident, things soon turn worse for Will as he finds himself being blackmailed by the suspect while his past returns to haunt him.
Directed by Christopher Nolan, the film employs a non-linear structure like the director's previous features which manages to engage the viewers further into its story to an extent but never really affects the overall narrative by a great deal. Writing is pretty good, camera-work is carried out in a controlled manner while editing could've chopped off a little more runtime as the film really drags at times.
Coming to the performances, the cast comprises of Al Pacino, Robin Williams & Hillary Swank from whom Nolan is able to bring out convincing performances. Pacino is absolutely committed to his given role though he did go a bit further than required on few occasions, Swank's character doesn't have much to offer, but Williams is surprisingly good in a role that's atypical of him.
Despite getting many things right, Insomnia still ends up being a disappointment for it remains stuck at the same level throughout its runtime & never manages to up the ante or build any sort of excitement, even during the climactic moments. Nolan fans are destined to check it out & few might even find something rewarding in it but for me, Insomnia remains a stale cinematic experience & is arguably Nolan's weakest film to date.