Insomnia

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Insomnia (2002)

Insomnia:

I'd hate to say something as trite as "this was more like a cure for insomnia," but unfortunately it's true. What a snooze-fest this was, as Al Pacino takes us through a tediously slow script that offers no real surprises. Pacino plays Det. Will Dormer who has been called to Alaska to help solve a case involving the murder of a teenage girl. He teams up with local detective Ellie Burr (Hilary Swank), and the two begin to investigate the clues to the murder. Meanwhile, Dormer is the subject in an internal affairs investigation back home (a plot point which was poorly detailed by the filmmakers) that he must deal with. When the primary witness against Dormer is shot and killed, the question is how far will Dormer go in order to cover it up. In a movie that lacked suspense and surprises (which are keys in a murder/mystery), Pacino did manage to keep his fiery performance trademark in this character. However, Hilary Swank's acting is closer to her performance in The Next Karate Kid (1994), than her Academy Award winning performance in Boys Don't Cry (1999). Robin Williams role as the murderer proves his versatility, but in a character that should have been somewhat menacing and threatening, he just doesn't come through. The poorly scripted Insomnia proves to be a disappointing follow-up for director Christopher Nolan after the success of Memento (2000). Can Nolan prove himself in future projects or will he be more of a one hit wonder?

-Tso