Good, worth your time, but could have been much better

Rating: 6/10 (18 January 2014)

This could have been such a great movie.
Nolan's direction is definitive. The cinematography is near perfect. The score is inviting without ever descending to a cloying nature. The script, the story, the twists and turns of the writing are constantly engaging and feed the viewer's attention with scene after scene near perfection.
Ms. Swank is wonderful.
However, some of the casting is not as good as it could have been. Imagine Insomnia with Pacino and Williams replaced by Smith and Jones, two less prominent actors just as good as all the other elements of the movie and then you are approaching an IMDb rating of around 8. But, with Al and Robin I give it a 6.
"Heresy!", you say. An understandable reaction, given the elevated reputations of the two leads. I mean, the two mean are like cinematic gods, right? No, not really.
Ever since 'Scent of a woman' Pacino has been offering the same, overacted character no matter what the project. And Robin? Go watch any interview he has given on a talk show over the last 20 years and you will see what to expect from him, because he can't get out of 'character' either, just like Al.
Smith and Jones, two good actors, would have brought interpretations to the roles that would have probably been unique. In fact, I bet their interpretations would have garnered some award buzz. But, in the hands of tired Al and burnt out Robin we get exactly what we should expect from them: two characters that could have been in any other movie.
Still pretty good, still watchable at least once. But, this ain't no classic Chris Nolan fans. I guess the good news is that he probably won't make the same mistake again.