Will Dormer, a police detective, is sent to investigate a teenage girl's murder to a small fishing town where he accidentally shoots his co-detective and is afflicted by insomnia brought by ... Read allWill Dormer, a police detective, is sent to investigate a teenage girl's murder to a small fishing town where he accidentally shoots his co-detective and is afflicted by insomnia brought by the guilt.Will Dormer, a police detective, is sent to investigate a teenage girl's murder to a small fishing town where he accidentally shoots his co-detective and is afflicted by insomnia brought by the guilt.
- Awards
- 1 win & 11 nominations
- Kay Connell
- (as Crystal Lowe)
- Director
- Writers
- Hillary Seitz
- Nikolaj Frobenius(1997 screenplay)
- Erik Skjoldbjærg(1997 screenplay)
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaSir Christopher Nolan told TIME Magazine that he had to deal with leading actors with highly different approaches. Al Pacino insisted on meticulous preparation, serious talks about character motivation and lots of takes, Robin Williams preferred hardly any rehearsal, but many takes, and Hilary Swank wished to do just a few takes to stay completely focused. Nolan therefore let Pacino and Williams freely experiment and work things out together, in order to get attuned to each other.
- GoofsAfter Will and Walter's conversation on the ferry, the officer who got shot in the leg earlier by Walter is shown walking normally at the police station. Later he's shown limping and using crutches.
- Quotes
Will Dormer: You don't get it do you, Finch? You're my job. You're what I'm paid to do. You're about as mysterious to me as a blocked toilet is to a fucking plumber. Reasons for doing what you did? Who gives a fuck?
- ConnectionsFeatured in Day for Night: The Making of 'Insomnia' (2002)
- SoundtracksSparks
Written by Guy Berryman, Jon Buckland, Will Champion, Chris Martin
Performed by Coldplay
Courtesy of EMI Records Ltd.
Under license from EMI-Capitol Music Special Markets
Al Pacino plays another one of his droopy detectives in a role that is quite unoriginal if placed in other films. Yet what separates this role from others is his portrayal of L.A. Detective Will Dormer actually has some 'meat' attached to it. Pacino plays a detective with a history of successful apprehensions, yet, he has flaws just like any other person and they come back to haunt him. Relocated from Los Angeles to Alaska, he is sent in hopes of capturing a killer who murdered a local schoolgirl.
Judging from the previews, premature assumptions can be made labeling the film as another simple 'cat-and-mouse' thriller. Instead, those conceptions will be lost soon after the haunting opening credits emerge and we are transplanted directly into a deep and complex character study set against the backdrop of a local homicide mystery in a small Alaskan town. The film's antagonist (For those who have seen the film - is he really the villain or the catalyst for Pacino's ethical debate?) is a local writer portrayed by Robin Williams. This is Williams' second villainous role in his trilogy of films (Death to Smoochy, One Hour Photo) that aims at diversifying his resume. Williams impresses as he juxtaposes between an innocent victim of a mishap and between a calculating and conniving murderer.
Director Nolan has assembled a terrific cast as this complex plot unfolds at a frivolous rate. This is a film that a discerning viewer will admire and a viewer with a short attention span will loathe. Nolan tosses us with one set of objectives and midway through the first act, we are sitting in on an entirely different film. Adjectives such as formulaic and conventional should not be associated with a film such as this. Nolan has completely revitalized the tired genre of the murder thriller with his sleek direction and picturesque photography.
Nolan first had conceived of the idea upon viewing a Norwegian film of the same name directed by Erik Skjoldbjaerg. Nolan seems to have taken the flaws of the original and improved upon them in a sleek feat of filmmaking that leaves much to be questioned about its' brilliance. One viewing is not enough to internalize the level of sophistication Nolan has created with this brilliant film.
Hillary Seitz's first attempt at writing a screenplay is solid but must be understood that the conception was not hers. Still, her script contains some juicy scenes that benefit all our characters in this film. Three Oscar winners (Pacino, Williams and Hillary Swank) highlight this film and with good reason. At first glance, the cast seems informingly incongruent, yet with time, all explains itself. Swank's performance as Detective Burr seems unnecessary right up until the final moments in the film. Yet, this is all of the resolute brilliance Nolan lends to this film.
This film succeeds on several levels of cinematic bravura. David Julyan's haunting score coupled with intense subliminal flashes match the films' dark tone and Cinematographer Wally Pfister (Memento) captures the majestic beauty of the Alaskan sea front.
As aforementioned, a thrilling chase of a murderer can be expected when introduced to the film. But not long after, we are delving into a debate that has a positive fix on morality. A battle between a person's conscience and his actions are truly at the forefront of this intellectually intriguing and complex thriller. Despite its' disappointing anticlimactic finale, the film still has enough zest and brilliance to make this film a true testament to the skill of Director Nolan.
Giancarlo's Rating: ***
- giancarlorocks
- May 23, 2002
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Details
Box office
- Budget
- $46,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $67,355,513
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $20,930,169
- May 26, 2002
- Gross worldwide
- $113,758,770
- Runtime1 hour 58 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 2.39 : 1