Isn't the original always better? *SPOILERS*

Rating: 6/10 (25 May 2002)

What a disappointment!
I'll keep this short:
1. I never for a moment bought the idea of Robin Williams as a killer. He came off exactly as he was - a fallen star looking to regain street cred in an edgy thriller. Still, it was better than seeing him with a red rubber nose though.
2. The Hollywood Influence. The Pacino character is completely softened from the original. Examples: A) The dog being shot is already dead. B) The killer, not the cop, plants false evidence in the boyfriend's home. C) The underage best friend hits on the cop, not the other way around. D) The desk clerk is not roughed up by the cop in abortive sex scene. God forbid America's protagonists have some unsavory qualities.
3. The Hollywood Influence II: Must every movie be loaded with unnecessary profanity? I don't remember "f---" being said dozens of times in the original; I also don't remember anyone complaining about the lack of cursing in the original.
4. The Gratuitous Chase Scene. Yeah, the romp over the wet logs was a cool set piece in itself (although it reminded me of a similar sequence in STAKEOUT), but what exactly was the point of it? Williams escapes, only to agree to meet with Pacino later on the ferry. Why would he do this? To insert an unnecessary chase to sate America's need for action, I guess. This scene is neither included nor needed in the original - this is supposed to be a psychological thriller, not a conventional action flick.
5. Instead of the main character having to live with himself after his amoral actions, this version has Pacino die at the end, alleviating the weight of his conscience.
That's enough for now. Should I have compared the two movies so liberally? The '97 version (8/10) being shown on IFC before I headed out to the 'plex probably didn't help matters. But even if I had never seen the foreign version, I'd still would have had a strange sense of deja vu. Nolan's INSOMNIA cribs from SILENCE OF THE LAMBS (cop finding clues in dead girl's bedroom, unsuspecting heroine enters bad guy's home), SEVEN (knocking on bad guy's door at moment bad guy comes home that leads to a chase in murky dampness, after which bad guy calls cop at bad guy's home), and TV's TWIN PEAKS (in sleepy mill town girl is sleeping with boyfriend of now-dead best friend which is discovered by detective called in from big city).
But if you're looking for some great footage of lush Alaskan wilderness, you've got cause to rejoice. The gorgeous cinematography here is the one aspect that surpasses the original. Props to Wally Pfister for all the evocative atmosphere he's created.
OK, so this wasn't very short. Sorry.
6/10