Movie Review: Insomnia

Insomnia

Those of you who've seen Memento have doubtless marked its writer/director - Christopher Nolan - for even greater things. (If you've not yet seen Memento, take a moment now to read a review and then go directly to your nearest video store to rent this wonderful little movie!) Insomnia represents the follow-up to his impressive directorial debut in the low-budget art film that received so much well deserved attention and critical acclaim. Because of his earlier success, he had more money and bigger names with which to work with Insomnia, and I'm pleased to say he doesn't disappoint. Well, nor much, anyway...

In Insomnia, Al Pacino plays a Los Angeles police detective. In the midst of an Internal Affairs investigation, he gets a request for help from an old buddy who is now Chief of Police in a small Alaskan town. Attracted not just by the case - an unusual murder - but by the pleasure of getting away from his own problems in L.A. for awhile, Pacino and his partner head north. After finishing the last leg of their journey by seaplane, the pair are met by an eager beaver local police officer played by Hilary Swank, and their investigation begins immediately despite some resentment by a few of the local authorities.

Swank, who is all but blinded by her hero worship of the acclaimed detective from California, can't do enough to help. In the end, she's done all too much as she unravels mysteries she scarce expected at the outset and is forced to wrestle with her conscience as well as the bad guys. Swank's discoveries and development as a formidible police detective in her own right, along with Pacino's walk along the razor's edge between an investigation he's conducting and one that's focused on him, is set against a background of almost constant daylight and Pacino's resulting inability to sleep, literally for days. His exhaustion complicates every facet of his day-to-day existence as he progressively has a more difficult time coping with the many problems on his mind, all of which he must somehow solve. When he learns he's made a horrible mistake, he's all but unable to cope with the aftermath, and when he does make decisions, he's not entirely sure they're the right ones. Meanwhile, Robin Williams, though prominently featured in advertising for Insomnia, plays an important but relatively minor role as a creepy author who has his own secrets.

Swank, an Oscar® winner for Best Actress, is adequate as the small town girl turned cop; despite having less screen time than one might expect from the ads, Williams, another Oscar® winner, manages to leave a lasting impression with his surprising facility to become a very frightening man. But it's Pacino, also an Oscar® winner, who is at his formidible best in his portrayal of a conflicted character who has more problems on his plate than he can readily manage.

The scenery in Insomnia is spectacular, and British Columbia proves a magnificent substitute for Alaska (only some aerial footage was actually shot in Alaska). The sets are appropriately grey and barren for a land so near the Arctic, and there are some nice native touches that make the locale all the more believable. As is to be expected, there are no car chases where speeding vehicles weave through crowded city streets. There are never-the-less two of the most exciting and brilliantly filmed chase scenes I've ever witnessed onscreen. Special note for camera angle and editing fans: There's some really great stuff waiting for you in Insomnia!

FAMILY SUITABILITY: Insomnia is rated R. There is some fairly graphic violence, and the subject matter throughout is dark at best. Small children will be bored; slightly older children will be truly frightened. Leave the kids home for this one, and save it for those 16 and older who can appreciate the performances showcased here. For the record, my husband and I both thought Insomnia was a terrific movie in every way, but singled out the caliber of the acting for even greater praise. To be fair, a friend who accompanied us to the showing agreed that the acting was brilliant, but personally found such a flaw in the plot that she was unable to truly enjoy the story the movie tried to tell. (My early Oscar® predictions: Insomnia probably won't win awards for its script anyway; its actors, on the other hand, may very well end up on podiums this fall and winter.)