Movie Talks Archives

Posted by: Nate6 at May 24, 2002, 8:32 pm

Topic: Reviews: Insomnia Forum: JoBlo

INSOMNIA - 9/10 The best part of a good detective thriller is not just caring about the crime, but the detective too. And damn it if this one didn't make me care. Al Pacino, in his best performance since 1995's HEAT, plays Detective Will Dormer, who has been sent up alongside his partner (Martin Donovan) to investigate the murder of a seemingly happy teen girl in a small Alaska town. Well, let's just say one thing leads to another and when Dormer finally gets to the girl's murderer (Robin Williams in a horribly creepy performance, as if the previews didn't already reveal that), he finds himself in a bind because this man knows one of his most terrible secrets. Now, the film gets interesting. Dormer becomes tortured by many things, keeping secrets, trying to avoid an admiring but increasingly suspicious young detective (Hilary Swank), and of course, the fact that he can't sleep because yep, the sun doesn't go down that time of year. The whole insomnia element adds a new dimension to a film that would have been great in the first place. We never know when it is night or day, and neither does Dormer. This is what allows us to care about the protagonist. Does his lack of sleep affect his judgement? Maybe, maybe not. Is his little cat-and-mouse game with Williams really all it's made out to be? Perhaps, perhaps not. We never can tell how this movie will be moving along. Now let's talk about performances. INSOMNIA features, three, count 'em, three Oscar winners, and it shows. If there are better male lead performances than Pacino's here, we're looking ahead to an incredible year of performances. The thing about Pacino is that in most movies he tends to scream a lot and play his characters up the ass. Not so here. He knows where to restrain himself while still maintaining a presence. Williams is suitably creepy and tries his absolute best to escape his persona. It really isn't his fault that I couldn't see him as anything else but Patch Adams *shudders*. Swank proves her worth in a more important supporting role than you'd think possible, you see her become increasingly more aware of what is going on. She may trap Dormer because of what Dormer has taught her. And the rest is good too. There is an incredible, multi-layered script by Hillary Seitz to work with, but what's most impressive is Christopher Nolan's surprisingly confident direction. He isn't showy, but he's still stylish. Very, very important. So, an excellent film that I recommend to all lovers of thrillers, or all movie fans in general. Such a good alternative to the $7 billion blockbusters out there this summer.

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