THE FOLLOWING REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS OF THE DISCUSSED FILM. READERS DISCRETION IS ADVISED.
When you go through thriller films, you think you’ve seen them all and figure out how it’s gonna go until one changes everything. The best example goes to Insomnia.
PLOT
Based on the 1997 Norwegian film, this 2002 film takes place in Nightmuke, Alaska and follows LAPD detectives Hap Eckhart and William Dormer who are sent to investigate the murder of 17 year old Kay Connell, alongside local detective Ellie Burr. During this investigation, Dormer himself is being investigated by Infernal Affairs. He is livid that Hap will testify against him in exchange for immunity because if more cases get reopened, the people he convicted could be released. One day, the unidentified murderer is lured to a shack near the beach. He gets away when a megaphone accidentally goes off by one of the officers. When he hides through the fog, he starts firing with a .38 caliber pistol. When Dormer fires back with his 9mm, he accidentally shoots Hap, unaware it was him in the fog. He chooses to cover it up because he knows IA won't believe him that it was an accident. After Eckhart's autopsy, he swaps his bullet with another. However as days progress, his guilt gives him such weight to carry that he cannot sleep. He starts getting calls from the killer who claims to see him shoot Hap. At Kay's funeral, he notices her boyfriend Randy Stentz (Jonathan Jackson) with her friend Tanya Francke (Katharine Isabelle). He calls out Tanya that she was having an affair with Randy when Kay died, making the reason she won't make an alibi for him. The only thing she knew to share to him was that there was a secret admirer named 'Brody'. When noticing the name on a book she had in her backpack, Dormer deduces that the killer is the book’s author named Walter Finch. He goes to his apartment to frame him, planting the .38 in his air vent. When he spots him, he chases him down but he gets away. Finch calls Dormer again for a rendezvous at the ferry. The deal is made that if Finch shifts blame on Randy due to being abusive to Kay beforehand, he will not mention Dormer shot Hap. In order to ensure this promise, he recorded their conversation via tape. He does call again saying that it was an accident, that he beat Kay to death when she rejected his advances on her. The next day, he reports his false testimony and not only shifts the blame on Randy, but also claims he has, letting Dormer he discovered the .38 and now planted it in the boy’s home, resulting in his arrest. The case does come off closed but Burr visits the crime scene of Hap’s death again and discovers the 9mm shell. When learning that Dormer has 9mm pistol, she does deduce that he is responsible for his partner’s death. Dormer still copes with insomnia after destroying Finch’s tape. He even shares to his hotel manager Rachel (Maura Tierney) that he fabricated evidence to get a pedohile convicted because he was certain that he murdered a child. He later discovers that Burr will visit Finch to retrieve letters confirming Randy’s abuse, but checks the apartment only to find the letters there, meaning there is intent to kill her. He arrives just as he knocks her unconscious, but has a hard time fighting him due to his lack of sleep making him disoriented. When Burr gets back up and starts shooting at Finch who hides at the other side of the cabin. She tells Dormer that she knows what he did to Hap, but he replies that he’s not sure if he meant to do it or not. Just as he says that, Finch starts shooting back at them. Dormer does get to the shed without notice and does get the drop on Finch but their conflict ends when both shoot at each other. Finch falls into the river as he dies, while Dormer barely walks outside the shed. Burr understands that what happened to Hap and intends to get rid of the shell, but he stops her and tells her not to lose her integrity, before he draws his last breath.
THOUGHTS
I recall first checking this one out during the 2010s and my opinion remains the same that this was one hell of a picture. The great Christopher Nolan gave a second thriller and continued to love messing with our heads even after getting the main answers, as in continuing to think about what we transpired. I won’t exaggerate and say that this movie was ahead of its time, but it does feel like the director is since he uses his method with the sci films he would direct after this. You know you’re enjoying it when you worry you’ll miss something if not paying attention. And I think that is why this one is special because despite being the most simple yet grounded of his filmography, Nolan makes every second count here as well. This isn’t a horror film but what creeped me out a lot was how the setting of Alaska was always Sunny in the season of summer. It’s more creepy knowing that the state actually has six months of 24 hour sunlight. I truly find that clever because it made me think to myself how day can be as dangerous as night. Like the rest of his films, the biggest highlight is the use of a unique ensemble. The legend Al Pacino gives easily his best performance of the decade with the role of Will Dormer. He is one of those figures you wouldn’t expect to be a protagonist. He has big flaws, yet we want him to stop the bad guy. Pacino does a great job reflecting how his guilt affects his own health, becoming more compelling to witness in the process. He is so ill that he actually forgets that it was an accident with Hap. But due to the heat IA had on him, you feel like second guessing. With everything that is going on with him, you just want this guy to find a way to be redeemed. While you can say it was avenging Kay by killing Finch, the real answer to it was being a mentor to Burr. Enter Hillary Swank, who was great as well with her role going from gullible fan to quickly intelligent detective. She uses his advice on taking notice of the little things and she does just that to figure out the truth of Hap’s death. Due to the passing of her mentor, she looks ahead determined to live to his advice at not making the same mistakes. I know a lot of people don’t talk about Martin Donovan much in the role of Hap Eckhart in his short time, but he impressed me here as well. Looking back, he is presented as a polar opposite to Dormer, whereas he is more concerned of doing things by the book and is the only one to call out Randy for smoking in school. Because of his approach, he just wasn’t comfortable on how his partner did things to put away the bad guys, hence his plan to testify. What made his death sadder is the fact that he got the wrong idea of his partner’s actions. Last but not least, the late Robin Williams gave such an uncomfortable performance out of Walter Finch. He was a great choice because he shows how the most unlikely of people, a gentle presence can create a despicable action. This is truly the most effective outing for Williams as a villain because even only appearing an hour into the film, his polite demeanor is unsettling to get through, due to knowing the truth of him. Chills went down my spine when he explains how his accident occurred with Kay. He acts like he is not in the wrong but seeing the actual event play in between his confession, we all know he’s wrong. So when his life is taken, you felt justice for Kay. Despite enjoying this movie more than expected, there were still stuff that I wish could’ve been done differently. First off, how has Kay’s mom not snooped in her room and discovered the necklace? Has she even met Randy? I mean I don’t want to judge her parenting but if she took notice whatever her daughter was up to, she’d likely still be alive. Speaking of Randy, he gave himself red flags on how he acted of Kay’s death when being interrogated. If he wanted to cover up his bad side, he should’ve tried harder. Also, I thought Dormer made some mistakes of his own. He should’ve wore gloves when swapping bullets because his fingerprints. And he should’ve known Finch would’ve had something up his sleeve like the tape recorder. Sure he later destroys the tape, but it could’ve went differently if Finch wanted to. Lastly, it wasn’t smart for Burr to visit Finch alone. Yes, he was least suspected but it feels logical to bring backup just incase. Other than that, it still holds up well once ignoring said flaws. In general, Insomnia is a great thriller by Christopher Nolan, proving that he was here to stay. If you like thrillers that know how to stir up the pot, see this one now.
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