Insomnia

A well-directed, thoght-provoking and subtle psychological thriller with an engaging plot and steller performances from cast.

A pre-Batman Nolan movie, but how did I miss that one back then ?

Pacino, like always, is absolutely convincing. I've never seen a bad performance from him. Yes, he has a certain type attached to him but he still is one of the best actors around. Equally well did Robin Williams and it is a pleasure to see both of these actors together. And, althought having a smaller role, good job by Hilary Swank. With those actors you seldom do wrong.
Script was really great, exactly what I am looking for in a thriller. A timeless movie you can watch anytime.

Probably Nolan's weakest film but that's saying a lot since this is really good. Also was possibly Robin Williams' best role before unfortunately some duds before his death. Nolan however is better when he's not remaking a film. The original Insomnia is also supposed to be pretty damn good.

Definitely Nolan's weakest film in my opinion, but considering his filmography, that isn't bad at all. This a pretty straightforward film, but it still explores an interesting theme. The acting is great obviously, and given how early this movie was made in Nolan's career, you can start seeing hints of his directing style.

Doesn't feel like a Nolan movie. Which is actually better since it actually has a strong psychological and emotional elements compared to Nolan's usually dull emotional writing and mind-bending movies.

It is blessed with 2 iconic leads, Robin Williams and Al Pacino whose performances are truly touching.

The story does feel a little cliché(?) but its well-done and does affect the viewer, one of the few movies where I lost touch of the outside world, albeit not for long compared to Parasite, The Great Gatsby, Whiplash or Interstellar where I nearly completely lost touch.

From Christopher Nolan comes the compelling and provocative crime thriller Insomnia. Starring Al Pacino, Robin Williams, and Hilary Sawnk, the film has a strong cast that delivers some impressive performances. The story follows a L.A. police detective that is sent to Alaska to assist in a murder investigation, but when he accidentally shots his partner and covers it up, the killer attempts to blackmail him. The writing is especially good, and creates an intense and suspenseful tone. Additionally, Nolan does an incredible job at using the Alaskan setting to give the film an atmospheric look and feel. Exceptionally well-crafted, Insomnia is a smart and dramatic police procedural that explores some interesting ethical questions.

One of Nolan's lesser known films but it's still great. Terrific performance from Al Pacino and Robin Williams gives one of his more memorable roles.

Thrilling, good plot twists and a great cast make this a must see!

In the end Burr finds out the truth but Finch knocks her down. Dormer can safe her life by killing Finch but also dies because of a bullet fired by Finch. Dormer's dying wish is that Burr doesn't cover up for him even though she offers to get rid of the evidence that he shot his partner...

>_"This guy… He crossed the line and he didn’t even blink. You don’t come back from that."_

**Thirty years of a police career spent catching killers. What happens if, one day, you simply become the very thing you’ve been chasing your entire life?**

**Will Dormer**, played by the legendary **Al Pacino**, and **Hap Eckhart**, played by **Martin Donovan**, are detective partners from **Los Angeles** temporarily assigned to a case in a small town in **Alaska**, where a seventeen-year-old girl is brutally beaten to death and discarded in a landfill. The story takes an abrupt turn when **Will** accidentally shoots his own partner, fatally wounding him, and then blames the killer for the act. Unfortunately, he fails to consider that the very murderer he was hunting also witnessed the crime.

**Christopher Nolan** is known for his ability to tell intricate stories with non-linear structures while ensuring the viewer never loses track of what’s happening (with the rare exception, perhaps, of *Tenet*). *Insomnia* sits right between the intricate yet fantastic *Memento* (2000) and the first installment of what would become his now-famous and acclaimed *Batman* trilogy, which began in 2005. The transition from *Insomnia* to *Memento* is quite noticeable. The influence of 90s noir cinema is evident in both: detective stories tainted by cynicism and despair, featuring characters disillusioned with their surroundings who navigate reality through a morally gray lens. However, we’re also shifting from a film that tells its story in reverse to one that unfolds in a completely linear fashion.

That is one of the reasons why the film lacks a bit of excitement at the beginning. At first, it feels like an ordinary detective-vs-killer movie. The real turning point of *Insomnia* happens precisely when its protagonist commits the murder of his partner **Hap**. Ironically, though, the effectiveness of this event is due to the slow build-up at the start, where we sense underlying tension between the two characters due to legal issues in **Los Angeles** involving their police division and **Internal Affairs**—an element that unfolds further as the plot progresses.

One of the film’s strongest aspects is its focus on character psychology. The protagonist, **Will Dormer**, and the killer, **Walter Finch** (played by **Robin Williams**), are locked in a constant power struggle. On one hand, **Will** is trying to hunt down the only witness to his terrible secret while keeping the local police of **Nightmute** at bay. **Walter**, on the other hand, will attempt to turn the detective to his side, making him empathize with his situation, using every psychological tactic he can muster. In their tug-of-war, both will ultimately end up working together to resolve the situation they tragically share.

**Ellie Burr**, played by **Hilary Swank**, is another standout character. A great admirer of **Will**’s police work, she is the one who, throughout the film, comes closest to uncovering the truth about him. Her enthusiasm for solving the case—initially appreciated by **Will** but later dismissed—serves as a constant reminder of the terrible lie the detective is trying to uphold.

What makes **Ellie**’s character shine is how she serves as a reflection of the protagonist himself. She represents everything positive that **Will** has tried to foster throughout his career. She even reminds him of some of his most famous lines, such as *"Always investigate the small details"* and the infamous *"A good cop can't sleep because a piece of the puzzle is missing. And a bad cop can't sleep because his conscience won't let him."* Naturally, these statements hit Will like a punch to the gut, making her an important point of conflict for him.

Halfway through the movie, I found myself wondering about the significance of the title. The answer lies partly in the setting, which plays a crucial role in the story. The time of year and the town’s geographical location result in the midnight sun phenomenon—a natural event where the sun never sets, making the nights as bright as the days. The guilt of covering up his partner’s murder, coupled with other crucial revelations toward the film’s climax, leads Will to suffer from a seven-day-long episode of insomnia.

Cinematically, this psychological exhaustion is portrayed in a way I don’t think I’ve seen before: intensifying the sounds he perceives, using abrupt editing cuts of his surroundings, and shifting the focus and depth of field within the frame.

The protagonist attempts to remedy the situation throughout the film by chewing gum—a characteristic quirk that appears from time to time. He also tries blocking out the light with various objects in front of his windows, desperately seeking rest. This leads to one of the movie’s best sequences when his landlady informs him that several tenants have been complaining about the noise coming from his room. The conversation continues with:

>_"Well, uh… it’s so fucking bright in here."_

She denies it, proving him wrong by turning on the light—revealing that it had been off the entire time, from the very beginning of the movie, without even the audience realizing it. Here, the effect of the ghosts haunting **Will** becomes fully evident: he can’t sleep not only because of the ever-present sun in the sky but because of the burdens his conscience has carried all this time.

*Insomnia* is a great experience—an atmospheric, noir-style detective story with a psychological weight strong enough to be deeply affecting, all characteristic traits of **Nolan**’s cinema. However, its place within the filmmaker’s body of work is somewhat unclear to me. I wouldn’t want to box him into an overly specific style, but his signature lies in the way he manipulates narrative structures. Since *Memento*, nearly all his films—with the exception of the *Batman* trilogy—share this trait: they all feature intricate yet functional storytelling structures.

Five narrative layers unfolding simultaneously, as seen in *Inception*; two temporal directions interacting with each other, as in *Tenet*; the aforementioned reverse narrative in *Memento*; or three distinct moments of a single timeline culminating into one, as in *Dunkirk*—a technique echoed later in *Oppenheimer*. And there are still more examples to mention.

However, *Insomnia* does not follow this pattern—so much so that, had I not known Nolan directed it, I might never have guessed. It’s a film that could easily fit into many other filmographies. Perhaps at the time of its production, this defining characteristic of his storytelling hadn’t fully solidified yet—a plausible theory, given that I’m not familiar with his pre-2000 work. Guilty as charged.

Another factor that may have influenced the absence of his trademark style is that neither he nor his brother wrote *Insomnia*. In fact, it is the only feature-length film in his catalog that wasn’t written or co-written by him or his usual collaborators. Instead, the screenplay was penned by **Hillary Seitz**, who based it on the original *Insomnia* (1997), written by norwegian filmmakers **Nikolaj Frobenius** and **Erik Skjoldbjærg**—the latter also serving as its director.

Even so, the point remains: *Insomnia* is a great film, but it is not a **Nolan** film.

Watched this movie today after midnight because of insomnia. 10/10