Insomnia (2002)

talisencrw May 16, 2016

★ 9/10

Definitely not Nolan's best but probably my favourite (at least tied with 'Batman Begins') because I love the Norwegian original so much AND the subtle changes Nolan made with it, as well as what the three stars (Al Pacino, Robin Williams--in his first villainous role, I believe, and Hilary Swank--in probably my favourite performance of hers, next to the downright decadence and naughtiness she displayed in 'The Black Dahlia') bring to the table here. I greatly enjoyed the five short extras on my DVD (a double-sided disc I bought years ago that has 'The Devil's Advocate' on the other side, yet unwatched): a conversation/interview of Nolan with Pacino; 'Day for Night: The Making of...'; 'In the Fog' (which interviewed cinematographer Wally Pfister); Nathan Crowley: production designer; and 'Eyes Wide Open' (which interviewed sleep disturbance experts), which thankfully I viewed before I wa…

Gimly June 2, 2017

★ 6/10

Captures some human sentiment incredibly well, coupled with the unique setting and great acting, this makes Insomnia a good watch, worth every minute of its two hour runtime. That said, I was not as enamoured by it as others might be. Perhaps if was unaware of what Nolan, Pacino or Williams are capable of at their highest levels, or if I didn't realise five minutes before the end that I'd actually seen it as a kid and could exclusively remember the ending, then it would have had a higher impact on me. But even taken for me as is, _Insomnia_ is still a very solid bit of filmmaking. _Final rating:★★★ - I personally recommend you give it a go._

John Chard May 21, 2019

★ 9/10

A good cop can't sleep because he's missing a piece of the puzzle. And a bad cop cant sleep because his conscience wont let him. Insomnia is directed by Christopher Nolan and written by Erik Skjoldbjærg and Nikolaj Frobenius (1997 screenplay). It stars Al Pacino, Robin Williams, Hilary Swank, Maura Tierney, Martin Donovan and Nicky Katt. Music is scored by David Julyan and cinematography by Wally Pfister. It's a remake of a 1997 Norwegian film of the same name. LAPD detective Will Dormer (Pacino) and his partner Hap Eckhart (Donovan) travel to the remote Alaskan town of Nightmute to aid the local cops investigating the savage murder of a teenage girl. But Dormer leaves behind an Internal Affairs Investigation that gnaws away at him, and when a potential bust of the murder suspect goes tragically wrong, his conscious gets attacked on two fronts. By lack of sleep and by the killer …

r96sk May 16, 2024

★ 8/10

A relatively normal Christopher Nolan movie? Well I never! 'Insomnia' might not be as deeply entwined as what the director usually produces, yet in entertainment terms it is still right up there. I really enjoyed this one, thanks in large part to the performances of Al Pacino and Robin Williams - great to see those two icons onscreen together! You also have some nice visuals, Alaska looks real neat!

JPV852 August 16, 2024

★ 8/10

Haven't watched this one in a while but been on an Al Pacino kick lately. Still holds up and features some great performances from Pacino and Williams. I would've loved to have been a fly on the wall behind the scenes with those two along with Christopher Nolan in his first bigger budget feature ($46 million). Not one of the best crime-thrillers but still well worth a watch. **4.0/5**