A tragic ball of twine!

Rating: Null/10 (6 July 2002)

Al Pacino doesn't usually play sympathetic characters but I did feel sorry for his character towards the end of this film. This is one of Pacino's best roles and is certainly his best role in ten years since winning the best actor Oscar for 1992's 'Scent of a Woman'. In 'Insomnia', Pacino is an L.A. cop who travels to Alaska with a partner to investigate the murder of a young girl. Once there, he is greeted by an Alaskan police woman (Hilary Swank) and he later tangles with a twisted sicko played superbly by Robin Williams in a limited but fascinating role. This film has a great dynamite fuse of blackmail, drama, suspense, climate and characterization. Director Christopher Nolan who made the totally under rated 'Memento', scores big here with a movie that takes a remote setting and shows that crime does occurs anytime and in any place that one can imagine.