If you have seen Memento, then you remember that it was a very memorable experience. Insomnia is not nearly as unique, but it is directed by the man who brought us Memento, Christopher Nolan. This remake of a 1997 Norwegian film has an entirely different feel to it than Memento and a distinguished set of actors.

The story is set in summertime Alaska in the northern town of Nightmute. Since it is summer, the sun does not really set at that latitude, which can really fuck up one’s internal clock. Against this backdrop enters LA Detective Will Dormer (Al Pacino, The Insider) who is sent with his partner Hap Eckhart (Martin Donovan, The Opposite of Sex) up to the small Alaskan town to help the locals with a murder investigation. Part of the reason for this is because the two know Nightmute’s Chief Nyback (Paul Dooley), but the most important reason is because Internal Affairs is after Dormer and Eckhart for some questionable police work. In Alaska the two LA cops are met by local cop Ellie Burr (Hilary Swank, Boys Don’t Cry), a naïve young cop that has potential. Shortly after arriving the police get a chance to catch the killer, but not only do they fail at this, Dormer ends up shooting and killing his partner through a thick fog. No big deal, just an accident right? Wrong. Earlier Eckhart had told Dormer he was going to cut a deal with Internal Affairs against Dormer’s wishes. So now Dormer covers up who shot Eckhart and blames it on the killer they are after just in case people think he killed Eckhart on purpose. What’s more is that the killer, Walter Finch (Robin Williams, Death to Smoochy), knows what happened and can get Dormer into a lot of trouble. Plus that naïve local cop Burr is slowly figuring everything out on her own. So it comes down to Dormer’s troubled conscience.

Unlike many movies, we know who the killer is going into the movie, and shortly into the film the police know who the killer is. To where the real suspense in this Nikolai Frobenius and Erik Skjoldbjaerg written film is whether or not the tainted cop will do the right thing.

Others in the cast are Maura Tierney (Forces of Nature) as the hotel manager, Nicky Katt, Jonathan Jackson, and Larry Holden.

The acting is great in Insomnia. The visuals are also well done. The only real trouble with the picture is that it can be slow at points, plus Robin Williams just isn’t funny in the film (which is exactly how his character should be, but it is just so different from the norm). Anyway, I give the movie nine couches out of ten.

Sweet dreams.

Last updated: Thursday, March 20, 2008 02:48:36 AM

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