Do not, I repeat, do not go into the film “Insomnia” expecting to see a mixed sort of jigsaw puzzle similar to director Christopher Nolan’s last movie, “Memento”.
I made this mistake already - don’t make the same mistake.
You will not need to read deeply into the plot and characters. You will not need to piece it all together afterwards. You will not need a Ph.D. or a double-disc DVD set to figure it out.
The film, which stars Oscar winners Al Pacino, Robin Williams and Hilary Swank, is as straightforward as any movie has ever been.
However, this is not necessarily a bad thing. Being straightforward is, as most would agree, a very good thing.
Pacino is as usual, which is without a doubt, his best.
If you have ever seen James Spader in “The Watcher” and were disgusted by his portrayal of a strung-out cop with huge bags under his eyes chasing a killer, then Pacino will be your savior.
His character, Det. Will Dormer, is even more strung-out and the bags under his eyes are a lot bigger. But, they are a lot better. As for the killer he is after, Williams plays a much better one than Keanu “I know kung fu” Reeves.
The story follows Dormer and his partner Hap (Martin Donovan) as they travel to a quaint little fishing village in Alaska to investigate the gruesome, unexplained murder of a 17-year-old girl.
From there they meet Ellie Burr (Swank), who seems to be the only local cop worth anything. And also Fred Dugger (Nicky Katt), who plays that cocky (you’re-intruding-on-my-territory) kind of cop.
Now you can sense right from the beginning that this plot is going to be full of backstories. Most characters obviously are going to have a past that comes into play.
But I won’t ruin anything for you by giving away hints (even though it probably would not hurt your enjoyment of the film much).
This may seem like a strange analogy but, like “Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones”, the enjoyment of this film comes not directly from the story but how it is told.
The entire film is chopped into pieces by flashes Dormer is tortured with. In the beginning, they seem to serve no purpose. However, they are all but a means to an end.
Here is one hint: They are not what they seem.
The story rolls on when author Walter Finch (Williams) enters, proving once again that comedians are some of the best actors in the world.
His character is not scary, horrible or menacing. He is nothing the usual killer would be - if there is such a thing.
Finch is a calm (unusually calm), slightly gifted individual who likes the occasional game. He loves to feel smarter than people, especially Dormer.
Now, a lot of reviews have been saying that “Insomnia” is the first big movie of the summer which could contend in the Oscar race. I have to agree.
The performances are perfectly believable. The story is perfectly compelling. And the direction is just simply perfect.
But, and there is always a but, in parts it drags worse than Pacino’s semilifeless, tired-as-hell body through the whole thing.
They could have cut about 15 minutes of blank faces staring back at other blank faces.
