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Alcon Entertainment
Section Eight
Not part of a collection.
A tough cop. A brilliant killer. An unspeakable crime.
Two Los Angeles homicide detectives are dispatched to a northern town where the sun doesn't set to investigate the methodical murder of a local teen.
JPV852
Aug 16, 2024 · via TMDB
Haven't watched this one in a while but been on an Al Pacino kick lately. Still holds up and features some great performances from Pacino and Williams. I would've loved to have been a fly on the wall behind the scenes with those two along with Christopher Nolan in his first bigger budget feature ($46 million). Not one of the best crime-thrillers but still well worth a watch. **4.0/5**
r96sk
May 16, 2024 · via TMDB
A relatively normal Christopher Nolan movie? Well I never! <em>'Insomnia'</em> might not be as deeply entwined as what the director usually produces, yet in entertainment terms it is still right up there. I really enjoyed this one, thanks in large part to the performances of Al Pacino and Robin Williams - great to see those two icons onscreen together! You also have some nice visuals, Alaska looks real neat!
John Chard
May 21, 2019 · via TMDB
A good cop can't sleep because he's missing a piece of the puzzle. And a bad cop cant sleep because his conscience wont let him. Insomnia is directed by Christopher Nolan and written by Erik Skjoldbjærg and Nikolaj Frobenius (1997 screenplay). It stars Al Pacino, Robin Williams, Hilary Swank, Maura Tierney, Martin Donovan and Nicky Katt. Music is scored by David Julyan and cinematography by Wally Pfister. It's a remake of a 1997 Norwegian film of the same name. LAPD detective Will Dormer (Pacino) and his partner Hap Eckhart (Donovan) travel to the remote Alaskan town of Nightmute to aid the local cops investigating the savage murder of a teenage girl. But Dormer leaves behind an Internal Affairs Investigation that gnaws away at him, and when a potential bust of the murder suspect goes tragically wrong, his conscious gets attacked on two fronts. By lack of sleep and by the killer himself. It's a House of Cards. Viewing from afar it's easy to be cynical and suggest that Insomnia is just an American remake cash in. Bigger budget, bigger stars and directed by an indie darling of the critics moving into the big league. While on the surface the plot looks to be another in a long line of cops and villains thrillers where procedural unfolds and evil is ultimately brought down at the end. Yet Insomnia is so much more than that, it's a deep movie dealing in complex psychological issues, a blanc-noir of some character substance, a picture clinically put together around one mans descent into a private hell, with the beautiful Alaskan backdrop perversely claustrophobic and Anthony Mann like in being at one with Will Dormer's fragmented state of mind. Killing changes you. You know that. From the opening moments as we observe a biplane flying over the Alaskan glaciers, accompanied by David Julyan's nerve tingling score, there's a looming air of disquiet. Nolan knows his noir onions, mood is everything and the dense psychological atmosphere is never once breached for the entire movie. Much of the picture is dialogue heavy, gratifyingly so, with the hushed conversations between Pacino and Williams begging the viewer to hang on every word as cop and killer (no spoiler, it's revealed to us early as a necessity) jostle for control of each others soul. What action there is also comes with a side order of otherworldly delights, a chase across floating logs and a stalk through eerie fog being the two particular highlights. Sleep comes at a cost. With three Oscar winners in the cast Nolan had some serious quality to direct, that Pacino, Williams and Swank deliver excellence is high praise for the British director. Pacino actually gives one of his finest late career performances, utterly compelling as Dormer, his haggard face tells of a thousand sorrows, his sleep deprived gait befits a man staring into the abyss. Wally Pfister's photography is on the money, the blend of snow whites and green tinges sparkle from the vistas and the soft brown hues inside the hotel provide the rare moments of tranquillity available to Will Dormer. Across the board Insomnia is a cracker of a movie, a film that goes into the murky depths of the genre to reveal one of the best movies of 2002. 9/10
Gimly
Jun 2, 2017 · via TMDB
Captures some human sentiment incredibly well, coupled with the unique setting and great acting, this makes Insomnia a good watch, worth every minute of its two hour runtime. That said, I was not as enamoured by it as others might be. Perhaps if was unaware of what Nolan, Pacino or Williams are capable of at their highest levels, or if I didn't realise five minutes before the end that I'd actually seen it as a kid and could exclusively remember the ending, then it would have had a higher impact on me. But even taken for me as is, _Insomnia_ is still a very solid bit of filmmaking. _Final rating:★★★ - I personally recommend you give it a go._
talisencrw
May 16, 2016 · via TMDB
Definitely not Nolan's best but probably my favourite (at least tied with 'Batman Begins') because I love the Norwegian original so much AND the subtle changes Nolan made with it, as well as what the three stars (Al Pacino, Robin Williams--in his first villainous role, I believe, and Hilary Swank--in probably my favourite performance of hers, next to the downright decadence and naughtiness she displayed in 'The Black Dahlia') bring to the table here. I greatly enjoyed the five short extras on my DVD (a double-sided disc I bought years ago that has 'The Devil's Advocate' on the other side, yet unwatched): a conversation/interview of Nolan with Pacino; 'Day for Night: The Making of...'; 'In the Fog' (which interviewed cinematographer Wally Pfister); Nathan Crowley: production designer; and 'Eyes Wide Open' (which interviewed sleep disturbance experts), which thankfully I viewed before I watched the movie, to enhance my experience. Greatly recommended to fans of contemporary crime thrillers, regardless of whether you watched the Norwegian original or not. There are enough differences to still make it worth your while as a cinephile.
User reviews courtesy of TMDB.
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Amazon Video
Apple TV Store
Google Play Movies
YouTube
Fandango At Home
Spectrum On Demand
Al Pacino
Will Dormer
Robin Williams
Walter Finch
Hilary Swank
Ellie Burr
Maura Tierney
Rachel Clement
Martin Donovan
Hap Eckhart
Nicky Katt
Fred Duggar
Paul Dooley
Chief Nyback
Jonathan Jackson
Randy Stetz
Larry Holden
Farrell
Katharine Isabelle
Tanya Francke
Jay Brazeau
Francis
Lorne Cardinal
Rich
Paula Shaw
Coroner
Yan-Kay Crystal Lowe
Kay Connell
Tasha Simms
Mrs. Connell
Kerry Sandomirsky
Trish Eckhart
Chris Gauthier
Uniformed Officer
Ian Tracey
Warfield (voice)
Emily Perkins
Girl at Funeral
Dean Wray
Ticket Taker
Sari Akasaka
woman (voice)
Nathan Crowley
Production Design
Dan Perri
Title Designer
Wally Pfister
Director of Photography
Robyn Ross
Stand In
Ken Kirzinger
Stunt Coordinator
Kit Mallet
Stunt Double
Lauro David Chartrand-DelValle
Stunt Double
Mike Mitchell
Stunt Double
Shawn C. Orr
Stunt Double
Duane Dickinson
Stunts
Christopher Nolan
Director
Dody Dorn
Editor
Steven P. Wegner
Associate Producer
Marci Liroff
Casting
Emma Thomas
Co-Producer
George Clooney
Executive Producer
Steven Soderbergh
Executive Producer
Andrew A. Kosove
Producer
Broderick Johnson
Producer
Paul Junger Witt
Producer
Kira Roessler
Dialogue Editor
Alicia Stevenson
Foley Artist
Dawn Fintor
Foley Artist
David Julyan
Original Music Composer
Aaron Glascock
Supervising Sound Editor
Erik Skjoldbjærg
Original Film Writer
Nikolaj Frobenius
Original Film Writer
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Silvester Home Run
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Ruthful
Gun Demon Without Form
The Murdaugh Murders
Would You Still Love Me If I Were a Worm?
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Thirst
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L'art d'aimer mourir
18 Rain, Dangerous People
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Patriots Day
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I Confess
Detective Story
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Miss Marple: They Do It with Mirrors
Evil Under the Sun
Juror #2
Woman on the Run
Gourmet Detective: A Healthy Place to Die
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Indemnity
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The Mirror Crack'd
Limbo
Jack Reacher: Never Go Back
The Detective
Murder in Three Acts
The Caveman's Valentine
Perfect Sisters
City by the Sea
May 3, 2002
Tribeca Film Festival
May 24, 2002
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1981 · 11 wins
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