Before he became mega famous, Christopher Nolan directed this atmospheric police procedural set in the permanent daylight of Nightmute, a small fishing village in Alaska. A local girl has been murdered and experienced LA detective Will Dormer (Al Pacino) and his partner Hap (Martin Donovan) are sent to help out. This isn't the only reason however, as the pair are being investigated by Internal Affairs and are laying low. Hap tells Will that he will testify when they return which could damage the older detective. When the police think they have the murderer cornered in the fog, Will shoots Hap by mistake - or does he? Will covers his tracks but the killer has seen all and soon starts trying to get Will's aid in finding a patsy for the girl's murder. What choice will the detective make: protect himself or the law?
Insomnia is a very good drama with some stunning Alaskan locations and a haunting, doom laden atmosphere. Nolan's cold, detached style (something that distances me from many of his films) is perfect for the subject matter, with Will guilt stricken and sleep deprived, starting to hallucinate and fall to pieces. As usual, Nolan teases effective and committed performances from his cast, with Pacino in more restrained form and Robin Williams, experimenting with subverting his cuddly screen persona, playing the murderer, apparently mild mannered writer Walter Finch. Williams is actually very good, portraying a slightly creepy character who has killed but sees it as an accident and who will not accept responsibility for it. His seemingly rational and practical approach to pinning the murder on the victim's boyfriend Randy, almost as if he were organising a day out, makes him all the more chilling and the scenes between Williams and Pacino crackle.
Hilary Swank is also excellent as local copper Ellie Burr, a huge fan of Will's career but also a canny investigator herself. It is she that starts to put all the pieces together and who realises that Will's account of how Hap was shot does not tally with the evidence. All the plots threads come together in a very tense shootout by a deserted lake with an ending that is sad yet hopeful. One of Nolan's best.
GK Rating: **** The Blog of Delights
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