Christopher Nolan’s third feature, following the critical success of “Memento,” was “Insomnia” and people tend to forget what a tense white-knuckler of a film that was.
“Insomnia” would later be overshadowed by Nolan’s big jump into epic blockbusters and, since then, he hasn’t really looked back. I’d love for him to one day make a film as quietly somber and small as this one.
In Tom Shone’s book, “The Nolan Variations,” Nolan admits to being very keen about “Insomnia” for numerous reasons, including personal ones:
I’m very proud of the film. I think, of all my films, it’s probably the most underrated. [...] The reality is it’s one of my most personal films in terms of what it was to make it. It was a very vivid time in my life. It was my first studio film, I was on location, it was the first time I’d worked with huge movie stars. [...] That’s not really for me to say, but every now and again I meet a filmmaker and that’s actually the film that they’re interested in or want to talk about. Yeah, very proud of the film.”
It’s definitely the least talked about Nolan. “Insomnia” was actually a remake of a 1997 Norwegian film starring Stellan Skarsgard. Nolan kept most of the hooks and beats from that solid film, but shot it in dreamier and more atmospheric fashion.
Starring a memorable Al Pacino in one of his best performances, and the late great Robin Williams as the villain, the film is supported by the always captivating Hilary Swank.
“Insomnia” is a fever dream of a film that follows Detective Will Dormer (Pacino), who is flown to Alaska, along with partner Hap Eckhart (Martin Donovan), to assist in an investigation surrounding the murder of a 17-year-old girl.
Undeniable, however, is the sheer acting power of the whole thing, with a major highlight being the interrogation scene between Pacino and Williams. Williams is marvelously passive and almost whispery as he riles Pacino’s Detective to the point of utter rage.