Insomnia (2002)

3 out of 4

Starring: Al Pacino, Robin Williams, Hilary Swank, Maura Tierney, Martin Donovan

Director: Christopher Nolan

Time: 118 mins

It's not often one sees a movie with three Academy Award winners as the lead stars. When they include acting legend Al Pacino at the top of his form, funny man Robin Williams playing against type, and former Karate Kid and Beverly Hills 90210-er Hilary Swank, you know you're in for a treat. Throw in director Christopher Nolan, who made one of last year's most talked-about films, Memento, and you have a recipe for a thoughtful, suspenseful crime thriller.

Insomnia is the Hollywood remake of a 1997 Norwegian film starring Stellan Skarsgard (Good Will Hunting). Here Pacino takes the Skarsgard role as Will Dormer, a top detective who has been assigned, along with his partner, Hap Eckhart (Martin Donovan) to a brutal murder case in Nightmute, Alaska. When they arrive, they are greeted by Ellie Burr (Swank), an idealistic young member of the local police force and a fan of Dormer's crimefighting methods. The town of Nightmute is not only beautiful, but also, during summer, subject to twenty four hours of sunlight every day. When Dormer traces the murderer to a remote house in the wild, there is an accidental shooting that only he and the murderer know about. Thereafter the murderer reveals himself, and suggests a deal with Dormer, a deal that will turn out to have deadly consequences. Between the murder case, his lack of sleep, and the internal conflict, Dormer finds his world spinning out of control.

Insomnia is one of those thoughtful crime thrillers that involve the audience through story, character, and atmosphere rather than blazing gunfights and car chases. I haven't seen the Norwegian original, but transplanting the location to Alaska (with British Columbia standing in) is an excellent choice. Remote lakes, glaciers, and spectacular waterfalls provide the backdrop for the finely etched character studies. There are a few action moments, including a suspenseful chase through thick fog, but these serve the story and not the other way around.

With the killer revealed fairly early, it's up to the characterisations and story to drive the film further. It's an interesting spin to have the main character so conflicted. Dormer is a good man, but he knows that doing the right thing doesn't always bring justice. When an opportunity arises for him to close down one dark chapter in his life, it's telling to see that he wants to keep it open. He wants to be brought down as much as he wants to stay on the hunt. To this end, Pacino's performance is stellar. His world-weary eyes are laden with, at first, doubt, and then later on, with the numbing effects of several nights without sleep. It's one of Pacino's best pieces of work in the last few years.

Williams is also very good as the antagonist. While well-known as a motor-mouthed comic and talented ad-libber who can bring the house down, his work here is subtle and chilling. Following the very dark comedy Death To Smoochy earlier this year, Williams has been taking a rather dramatic turn in the roles he chooses to play lately, a move that may prove to be a stroke of genius.

The third of the Oscar-winners, Swank, is just as much of a surprise as Williams is. Famed (and honoured) for her role as the victim in the searing Boys Don't Cry, here she actually does look like a bright-eyed policewoman straight out of the academy, who slowly realises her hero may not be the morally upright man that she thinks he is. Her shock when she realises the truth is devastating.

Director Nolan shows he's not a one-hit wonder with his deft handling of the actors, the locations, and the story. Though the structure in Insomnia is not the juggling act that Memento was, it is still an interesting, character-driven thriller that may keep you up at night. For those who like a thought-provoking movie that doesn't dumb itself down for the audience. Insomnia fits the bill.

(c) Joe Wong (16 June 2002)