Insomnia

Anyone who has seen the brilliant, original "Memento" will probably walk into this film with high expectations. Well, if you have seen it, then you won't be disappointed by this equally gripping thriller that will keep your eyes glued to the screen.

Al Pacino is Detective Will Dormer. He flies to Alaska to investigate the murder of a 17-year-old girl, along with his partner Hap (Martin Donovan). One day he spots the suspected killer heading over to his cabin. While in hot pursuit of the suspect, Dormer runs through an excess of fog and accidentally shoots his partner. The murder is covered up, and the only witness is the suspect himself, Walter Finch (Robin Williams)--a reclusive author of bad detective novels.

Because of his partner's death, Dormer loses sleep night after night. He receives taunting phone calls from Finch, and the two of them finally meet on a ferry. Finch shamelessly admits to murdering the girl, but feels secure since they both have a secret--they both murdered someone instinctively, without any motives.

Pacino again delivers a splendid performance, worthy of an Oscar nod. I'm not sure what was his last film, but it feels like a very long time since I've seen him in a movie, so I was delighted to see one of my favorite actors grace the screen. Of course, I was most curious--like I'm sure many others are--to see how Robin Williams would pan out as the villain. After finding out he was going to play the villain, I was stunned. Yet I wasn't surprised that he would be able to pull it off. Williams is a hugely versatile actor, who's played everything from a divorced father disguising as a nanny in "Mrs. Doubtfire" to a quiet, introverted doctor, helping out a patient with Parkinson's in "Awakenings." Despite his goofy personality, he knows how to discipline himself when the time's right. His role as Walter Finch could've been easily hammed up, but Williams played it perfectly--without underplaying and without overplaying. Even Denzel Washington went over-the-top in his Oscar-winning role in "Training Day." But Williams went for subtlety and he was totally convincing. To top off the Oscar-winning cast is Hilary Swank, of "Boys Don't Cry" fame. Though she doesn't carry the film, she delivers another fine performance. And after seeing her as the gender-bending Brandon Teena in the aforementioned film, I was stunned by how beautiful she really is.

This is not only a suspenseful thriller, but it's well-written and intelligent. There's no cheap plot twist at the end. The whole plot revolves around the cat-and-mouse game between Dormer and Finch, both insomniacs with skeletons in the closet. The characters are all multi-faceted, especially Pacino's. My heart was pumping throughout the film. I'm often fascinated by stories involving a lot of forensic detective work, and that's another reason I was hooked. "Insomnia" is very rich in texture--it works on three levels: as a deep character study, a cat-and-mouse detective thriller and an intriguing mystery. Nolan scored big with "Memento" and he scored big again! I hope he keeps up the good work, because he has great promise as an up-and-coming director.


JTazz Insomnia Movie Review Anyone who has seen the brilliant, original "Memento" will probably walk into this film with high expectations. Well, if you have seen it, then you won't be disappointed by this equally gripping thriller that will keep your eyes glued to the screen. Al Pacino is Detective Will Dormer. He flies to Alaska to investigate the murder of a 17-year-old girl, along with his partner Hap (Martin Donovan). One day he spots the suspected killer heading over to his cabin. While in hot pursuit of the suspect, Dormer runs through an excess of fog and accidentally shoots his partner. The murder is covered up, and the only witness is the suspect himself, Walter Finch (Robin Williams)--a reclusive author of bad detective novels. Because of his partner's death, Dormer loses sleep night after night. He receives taunting phone calls from Finch, and the two of them finally meet on a ferry. Finch shamelessly admits to murdering the girl, but feels secure since they both have a secret--they both murdered someone instinctively, without any motives. Pacino again delivers a splendid performance, worthy of an Oscar nod. I'm not sure what was his last film, but it feels like a very long time since I've seen him in a movie, so I was delighted to see one of my favorite actors grace the screen. Of course, I was most curious--like I'm sure many others are--to see how Robin Williams would pan out as the villain. After finding out he was going to play the villain, I was stunned. Yet I wasn't surprised that he would be able to pull it off. Williams is a hugely versatile actor, who's played everything from a divorced father disguising as a nanny in "Mrs. Doubtfire" to a quiet, introverted doctor, helping out a patient with Parkinson's in "Awakenings." Despite his goofy personality, he knows how to discipline himself when the time's right. His role as Walter Finch could've been easily hammed up, but Williams played it perfectly--without underplaying and without overplaying. Even Denzel Washington went over-the-top in his Oscar-winning role in "Training Day." But Williams went for subtlety and he was totally convincing. To top off the Oscar-winning cast is Hilary Swank, of "Boys Don't Cry" fame. Though she doesn't carry the film, she delivers another fine performance. And after seeing her as the gender-bending Brandon Teena in the aforementioned film, I was stunned by how beautiful she really is. This is not only a suspenseful thriller, but it's well-written and intelligent. There's no cheap plot twist at the end. The whole plot revolves around the cat-and-mouse game between Dormer and Finch, both insomniacs with skeletons in the closet. The characters are all multi-faceted, especially Pacino's. My heart was pumping throughout the film. I'm often fascinated by stories involving a lot of forensic detective work, and that's another reason I was hooked. "Insomnia" is very rich in texture--it works on three levels: as a deep character study, a cat-and-mouse detective thriller and an intriguing mystery. Nolan scored big with "Memento" and he scored big again! I hope he keeps up the good work, because he has great promise as an up-and-coming director. JTazz