Insomnia (2002)
Review by Noel
Writer/director Christopher Nolan can do no wrong…
His 2002 remake of the Norwegian thriller Insomnia is my least favorite of his movies. Having said that, if I had to grade it I’d give it an A-, and it’s still one of the top 10 movies of ’02 and probably one of the best thrillers of the decade. It’s faithful to the original without being completely slavish (I like both versions for different reasons) and displays Nolan’s ability to elevate what could have been standard forgettable genre material into something that lasts long after the credits roll…
Besides being a great movie (the best of 2008 so far…), I am grateful for the monetary and overwhelming critical success of The Dark Knight (review) (along with the monetary and critical success of Batman Begins), simply because it allows Nolan to do more challenging fare like The Prestige, his great Memento (the best film of 2001- Sorry, Fellowship of the Ring geeks, you’d have your turn two years later), and a masterful debut with Following. And having a great movie like Insomnia as your “worst” film only says volumes for him as a filmmaker. Enjoy him while you can film fans of all genres, ‘cause they don’t come around like Nolan all the time.
Now that I’m off Nolan’s nuts, let’s begin the review…
Super-Badass LA Detective Will Dormer (Al Pacino) and his partner Hap (Martin Donovan) are heading to the sunny azure skies of beautiful, tropical Nightmute, Alaska. Are these two ace gumshoes traveling to the big A because they want to see buoyant bouncy babes brandishing bikinis? Hell no, they’re here because a girl got killed. Not just killed, but killed to DEATH.
It seems they have a sub-reason for going to Alaska, and not because it’s the “Halibut Fishing Capital of the World”, although as far as reasons go, that’s a pretty darn good one. Internal Affairs down in the City of Angels is up Will’s A-hole and going to Alaska would be a good idea to let things cool down, so to speak.
And they get to help solve a murder. Fun!!!
Tagging along with Will and Hap is young cop Ellie Burr (Hilary Swank) who used to study Will’s cases down at the Academy, so she’s eager to learn whatever the veteran detective has to teach her. But that may not be a good idea, considering what happens…
What does happen is in clusterfuck of freaky fogginess Will shoots his partner in the chest thinking he was the killer. Oops!!! Will may have had a motive for shooting Hap, because Hap was going to strike a deal in the Internal Affairs case. Double oops!!!
Whenever I have a bad day, I find that sleep helps me clear the fog, but Will can’t do that because he can’t friggin’ sleep. Nightmute has periods where the sun doesn’t go down, about 30 days of…day. No, this doesn’t turn into an obtuse vampire flick, partly because you actually BELIEVE Al Pacino as a cop (and because it’s good). It turns into a story of guilt, doing the right thing, sleepless nights, and wearing warm clothing.
Will has another reason to be sleepless. The Killer (Robin Williams) saw Will shoot his partner, and ingratiating himself into Will’s fold as a reluctant partner. Because these things happen.
Yes, that’s quite a dilemma. Good enough to make into a movie. Wait a second…it IS a movie.
What works about Insomnia:
1.) Robin Williams – Every once in a while Robin Williams shows what a great actor he can be when he grows some balls. But now he’s in sappy happy crappy stuff like License to Wed, and horrible August Rush. In Insomnia, he keeps the viewer awake with his rather reasonable line readings. Williams doesn’t “act” like a generic movie psycho, but a levelheaded man who did a bad thing (“I killed her, but I didn’t murder her”… “I just wanted to stop her laughing”). But he didn’t mean it…
2.) Nolan knows when you have actors like Pacino and Williams, you don’t have to over-direct any scene with them. In their scenes together, Nolan keeps the cam steady, letting two great actors do their thing.
3.) The different ways you can look at the scene in the interrogation room.
4.) Credit staple Nolan collaborators editor Dody Dorn and DP Wally Pfister for making the shootout in the fog so clear and yet you understand why Dormer saw everything so muddled.
5.) Horror Alumni High- Jonathan Jackson from the horror movie Venom (and Dirty Dancing 2: Havana Nights) along with Ginger Snaps’ Katharine Isabel have small but memorable roles.
6.) Hilary Seitz’ screenplay has Pacino’s Dormer teaching Swanks’ Burr the ropes. If you pay attention, he teaches her a little too well.
7.) Great final scene (“Let Me Sleep”). It’s Hilary Swank’s best scene in the movie.
8.) Al Pacino (like I’d forget) – He’s remarkably toned down and does a master class in subtle acting as, little by little, he shows you a man worn down by guilt and…insomnia. And the few times he does explode it makes sense for the character. One of his best performances of the decade.
What doesn’t work:
1.) A rolling log chase scene that feels tacked-on, as if the studio gave Nolan notes like “Quick, we need a chase scene RIGHT HERE!!!” And there are horrible cutaways to stunt doubles.
2.) Hilary Swank – Except for the last scene, Swank spends most of her time in aw-shucks mode. When she’s cast correctly, she can be great, two Oscars notwithstanding, but when she’s off, you get shit like P.S. I Love You and The Reaping. In this one, she’s off, but it doesn’t do much to take away from the film.
3.) It takes a leap of faith (as I’m not well versed in interstate police procedure) to buy that LA cops would just “help out” and fly to Alaska.
Overall. You’ve seen Insomnia. You know how good it is. See it again. It’ll help you forget the stench of the aforementioned PS. I Love You, August Rush and April’s AWFUL 88 Minutes. And of course, we’ll blame the shrinkage on the Alaskan cold.
Watch the Insomnia trailer:
Popularity: 4% [?]
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