Insomnia

UK Release Date: 30 August 2002

Certification: 15

Director: Christopher Nolan

Cast: Martin Donovan, Paul Dooley, Larry Holden, Nicky Katt, Al Pacino, Hilary Swank, Maura Tierney, Robin Williams

Rating: 71%

Nolan's weakest film is still thoroughly enjoyable. 

Review: 

Christopher Nolan is my favourite director of all time - whether it's an ambitious comic book movie or a mind bending sci-fi, he always delivers - but I haven't seen some of his films before (Following, Memento and of course Insomnia). I can feel the features that made Nolan great but I feel the best way to sum up Insomnia is that it's a good movie that doesn't hold up to the rest of Nolan's filmography.

Al Pacino plays sleep deprived detective, Will Dormer. He's of course a legendary actor and he delivers a brilliant portrayal. Once you notice that insomnia is really affecting his character, his performance really amps up. However, I wish that Nolan would've explored in depth how insomnia truly affected Will Dormer. There are brief moments throughout the movie that show his true descent into madness - my favourite scene is arguably discovering that the room isn't as bright as he thought - and I really wanted to see more of that. It was the most interesting aspect of the movie for me. 

I like Robin Williams as both a dramatic and comedic actor but I don’t particularly buy the fact that he’s portraying a murderer. There are points where he’s excellent with subtle body language and there are other points where his performance is so over the top to the point it’s distracting. Although saying that, every interaction with Al Pacino is spell binding. On the other hand, Hilary Swank matches Pacino’s performance as rookie detective, Ellie Burke. Her sense of naivety and initial gullible nature make for a charming depiction. 

David Julyan, a frequent collaborator of Nolan’s early career, produces a lovely score. ‘Let me Sleep’ is a delightful piece with multiple rising crescendos that adds an emotional impact to the film’s ending.

If you take Christopher Nolan’s name away and see Insomnia purely as a physiological thriller, it’s a solid movie that I thoroughly enjoyed. It’s not a Se7en or a Prisoners but the movie is able to craft and tell an interesting story. But in some ways Nolan is more of a hinderance than a help to Insomnia.