Too loaded with talent to be sleep-inducing

Rating: 8/10 (25 July 2010)

Al Pacino as a veteran homicide detective, Robin Williams as a killer, Christopher Nolan of "Memento" behind the camera -- everything's in favor of "Insomnia," a remake of a Norwegian film from 1997. Strangely, the fact that the story doesn't have clever twists and doesn't play out as a noir mystery like it starts out as is the only thing between "Insomnia" and greatness.
Will Dormer is easily the last good character Pacino has played. He's tired, harboring a multitude of dark secrets and he's good at his job. He's on his way from Los Angeles to Alaska with his partner Hap (Martin Donovan) to investigate the murder of a teenage girl. When they spring a trap on the killer, some thick fog and a mix-up results in Dormer accidentally shooting and killing Hap. Knowing this would be the end of him, Dormer claims it was the killer who shot Hap. The guilt in combination with 24-hour sunlight that far north leads to a number of sleepless nights. Then it really gets intense when the killer (Williams) contacts Dormer and threatens to expose his secret.
The dynamic between a criminal and a cop who don't want to work together but must if either is to come out of this mess unscathed is what makes "Insomnia" unique. Pacino and Williams come from two totally different acting backgrounds, so their chemistry keeps the tension for much of the film, which is key when the "whodunit" interest factor gets thrown out the window rather quickly. The story becomes much more of a drama and the suspense comes from whether they can dupe the local police, especially the naive and tenacious young cop Ellie (Hilary Swank) who idolizes Dormer and his work.
The sleep deprivation factor acts as Nolan's creativity license. The story sticks entirely with Frank's point of view, so a number of tactics are employed to create that sleepiness feeling without going so overboard as to drive the viewer crazy -- or to sleep. Objects go in and out of focus and there's obviously a huge lighting factor for cinematographer Wally Pfister to handle. Pacino's performance, however, ties it all together in this way. It would have been nice if the insomnia was less metaphoric and more relevant to the plot, but there's no use trying to turn the film into something it's not. As much as we want murder mystery or something more akin to Nolan's "Memento," "Insomnia" is not that kind of film.
Despite no wicked left turns in the story, at times "Insomnia" is a bit tough to follow. A lot of what's motivating Dormer happened off camera before the time of the story, so some of that crucial information gets squeezed out. The tension and the acting really sell the rest of the film, so these end up minor deficiencies. "Insomnia" is one of those rare instances where the talent and the production values really elevate a film that might not otherwise warrant the any serious acclaim.
~Steven C
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