Film Review: Insomnia (2002)

Christopher Nolan is widely regarded as one of the greatest, if not the greatest Hollywood filmmaker of his generation, with a string of critically acclaimed and commercially successful films to his name. However, the path to such lofty heights was a gradual one, and a prime example of this can be found in Insomnia, his 2002 thriller, which, while a solid and engaging film, could hardly be described as one of his most remarkable works.

Insomnia is a remake of the eponymous 1997 Norwegian film, directed by Erik Skjoldbjaerg and starring Stellan Skarsgård. The plot is set in Nightmute, Alaska, small town rocked by a murder of local teenager. Thankfully, Nyback (played by Paul Dooley), chief of local police has served in Los Angeles Police Department long time, so he uses his friends and past connections to bring two top detectives to assist in the investigation. They are Will Dormer (played by Al Pacino) and his partner Hap Eckhart (played by Martin Donovan). Both men are being investigated by Internal Affairs for alleged tampering with evidence, but Dormer is focused on his job and, after discovering that the killer was intelligent and methodical man, develops a clever trap to catch him. Plan initially works, but the ambush soon goes terribly wrong, with not only killer escaping, but Dormer fatally shooting Eckhart by accident. Convinced that his career will end, he falsifies evidence in order to cover his deed. The killer, who happens to be local writer named Walter Finch (played by Robin Williams), knows the truth and begins to blackmail Dormer into steering investigation towards victim’s jealous boyfriend Randy Stetz (played by Jonathan Jackson). Dormer is tortured not only by guilt and ethical dilemmas, but also by the phenomenon of midnight sun that makes it next to impossible to find regular sleep. In the meantime, Ellie Burr (played by Hilary Swank), inexperienced but determined local policewoman, is determined to find the truth.

At first glance, Nolan's Insomnia might look like just another soulless Hollywood remake that tried to exploit a non-Hollywood original by giving it a "glamorous" makeover. However, the reality is that Nolan, while very faithful to the Norwegian source, tried to do some things differently, with mixed results, making his film both better and worse than Skjoldbjaerg's.

The improvements over the old version include a larger budget, which, unlike in many Hollywood remakes, isn't simply wasted on stars' salaries. Al Pacino's performance as the troubled police detective is a standout, as he uses his age much better than Skarsgård did five years earlier. The larger budget is also evident in the much more attractive cinematography by Wally Pfister, with the natural beauty of the Alaskan and Canadian locations serving as a good contrast to the evil, depravity, and mental anguish of the protagonist.

On the other hand, the new version is much longer and somewhat "bowdlerised" compared to the Norwegian film, which was ultimately much darker. Screenwriter Hillary Seitz's script makes Pacino's character more palatable to the audience, as his questionable actions are initially based on the desire to bring down killers. While the subplot involving an Internal Affairs investigation adds a bit of drama, it feels a bit like a cliché.

The appearance of Robin Williams as a stone-cold, calculated psychopathic killer – a role completely opposite of the screen persona the beloved Hollywood comedian had built for his entire career – seems like something of a gimmick. At times, Williams tries too hard, making his character less realistic than the banality of evil seen in his counterpart from the 1997 original, played by Bjørn Holt. This was one of the many roles in which Williams tried to show his true range, but it is much inferior to the one he played in One Hour Photo, a film released roughly at the same time.

Because of the script being a little more complicated, the 2002 Insomnia is roughly half an hour longer, and some of the scenes seem too padded. The ending, which involves a shootout, is much more Hollywood-like than the Norwegian version.

When all is said and done, Insomnia is a solid remake and nothing more, but fans of Nolan should still be pleased with the professionalism and talent their favourite director has shown at the start of his career.

RATING: 6/10 (++)

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