Christopher Nolan: The new genius of the cinema

Rating: Null/10 (26 July 2002)

Christopher Nolan has turned out to be cautious. After its (almost) unknown but very acclaimed premiere Following (1998) and their takes place and excellent puzzle noir Memento (2001), the young British film director has decided to step sure in her third film. Nolan, leaves to a side that complicated of the plot that I characterize to Memento (and that I provoke us a headache), jumps in the time continuous and much less new actors (although that if brilliant). Insomnia is simply lineal, with three actors of category (Guy Pearce is good but unquestionably competition doesn't exist between the new Australian star and these three actors) and its setting in images bet but for the fotogenia of its beautiful leases that for the sordid ambient oppresive/paranoid of the film noir current Although it is necessary to recognize that Insomnia leaves myself with desires of something but, since this project was not created by Nolan and its brother if not the requirement that Hollywood imposed Nolan to continue in the list of new directors. It is but the tape is not even since an original project it is a remake of a Norwegian movie with the same name used for the first time in 1997, played by Stellan Skarsgard, and that it checks once but that Hollywood ran out of ideas (as examples they are the French tape Nikita or the SpaniardAbre los Ojos) and that the directors so much foreign as Americans that surprise quickly with their first works they enter to the mainstream and their surprises end (among them: Danny Boyle that after its anything esperanzador film Trainspotting, made a mediocre called film The Beach, Ang Lee, that I love with its beautiful ones you work now he will make a comics movie:The Hulk, Steven Soderbergh the call father of the independent cinema now makes things as Ocean's Eleven Peter Jackson that I sprinkle us with vomits, blood and viscera and I provoke us a lot of laugh and disgust with his movies gore, he didn't resist and I carry out the trilogy of Lord of the Rings or that to say of Darren Aronofsky, first I arrive to the fame with that rarity called Pi and later I scare us with that direct Russian mountain to the hell called Requiem for to Dream and now she/he will make Batman Year One). The worst thing of everything is that to Nolan they chose it because the director of the original tape, rejection the offer of carrying out a remake of their own tape. Truly something lamentable But let us pass to the movie: To Alaska Nightmute's town the veteran police Will Dormer arrives (Al Pacino in an accustomed class of good performance), to help in the investigation of the murder of a youth. Although it is not chance the appearance of Dormer in the investigation, the one was far from Los Angeles because an investigation that involves it in illegal acts exists. In Nightmute it is summer and the Sun doesn't enter, for what is the hour that is it will always be by day Dormer this tired of the many years of work, penned by the evidences of their errors, abandoned by their partner (interpreted by Martín Donovan) that incorporates to Internal Matters and to worsen everything, Dormer suffers of insomnia (of there the I title of the movie)
In spite of it, Dormer catches the murderer quickly;Walter Finch a writer of police novels, (interpreted by Robin Williams in an incredible performance) that is able to have dominated their pursuer in a blow of luck.
Dormer and Finch will become this way in prosecuting and pursued one of the other one, while the beginner police of the town Ellie Burr (Hillary Swank, reappearing after becoming man in the winning Boys Don't Cry) she begins to suspect that their admired police should explain many things.
It is not difficult to guess that I get the attention to Nolan of Insomnia; although it is the same one I generate of Following and Memento;with Insomnia he has had to change the way to make their movies although without leaving their essence. In this movie the edition is but flowing and leaves to a side those confused temporary jumps or frantic editions, Wally Pfister's camera is given the luxury of working in open and illuminated spaces with a beautiful picture (although if it is missed those resources that characterized to Memento) and he leaves to a side the narrative that had characterized it and transformed into star to open the way to three excellent performances of To the Pacino Robin Williams and Hilary Swank.
Pacino in one of its best movies in the last years, dominates the screen in the moment in which the one appears just as he has us accustomed and its character's physical transformation is impressive. Without being able to sleep a moment and with the blame on the back, alone Dormer wants to sleep.
On the other hand Williams that debuts as villainous (although soon she/he returns as the bad of the movie in One Hour Photo), it embodies a very convincing murderer that has crossed the one she/he limits without blinking clever to become a serial-killer. Robbed of all the characters that characterized it in the 90's, Williams is able to cause chills. Finally Ms. Swank in its victorious return could be silenced by two stars but that step between the ingenuousness and the determination it is amazing
Could not Mr. Nolan disappear undoubtedly completely because it is very talented (or does he love exhibicionist?), besides one it does magnify persecution between Pacino and Williams,the film director he shines when we begin to see some images from the insomne police's point of view, scenes desenfocadas, dirty sweepings, abrupt movements of the camera.
Be possibly a daring person or a genius but to make a movie in the summer with these characteristics is of being admired