Film Reviews

Insomnia

• Rating:
• Director:
• Starring: Al Pacino
• Details: US / 116 mins / (18)

A remake of the 1997 Norwegian film of the same name, Insomnia is probably more noteworthy for being Christopher Nolan's first film since his breakthrough with the inventive Memento (2000). Al Pacino plays Will Dormer, an LA cop requested, with his partner Hap Eckhart (Donovan), to lend his expertise to a murder committed in Alaska. Unbeknownst to his new workmates, Dormer is under investigation from internal affairs for alleged dodgy dealings and tampering with evidence. So when Eckhart says he's going to come clean with the investigators, things look bleak for the heavily decorated Dormer. But in the midst of attempting to apprehend the suspect in the Alaskan murder, Dormer makes a decision that changes everything. It would be unfair to divulge any more of the plot of Insomnia, for though this is a film based on a couple of remarkable coincidences, it's an involving, accomplished piece of work. The role doesn't break any new ground for Pacino (burnt out cops are one of his specialities), but he does it very well, giving his character a tangible fragility hiding behind a mask of macho bravado. Nolan doesn't need to employ the same editing techniques and stylistics flourishes that he displayed to such good effect in Memento, as the plot is dense enough to maintain interest, while the desolate backdrop of the Alaskan wilderness is effectively used as a supporting character.

Review by Garreth Murphy