Insomnia

As I catch up on previous Christopher Nolan films during this time of quarantine (and praying to God that we can all be in a movie theater in time for Tenet), I was surprised to find that Insomnia was directed by him. 

I remember this film coming out in the early 2000s. I never saw it because I was too young at the time, but it was during a time where Robin Williams was doing more serious (and creepy) roles and I always found that interesting. 

In terms of films that I have not seen from Nolan, Insomnia represents one of the last two, and the only full-length one. I was excited to watch it, eager to see what tricks Nolan had up his sleeve with a cop thriller/mystery. 

It turns out that I may have found my least favorite Christopher Nolan film with Insomnia. It's not bad by any means, but the directors name - and all the excitement that comes with it - almost retroactively hurts this film. This was his first film after Memento so he was still somewhat of an unknown and definitely not the butts-in-seats draw he is today. But, perhaps unfairly, when we've seen some of the awesome stuff he can do and the incredible things he can make us think about, a rather routine cop thriller in Alaska seems...well...boring by comparison. 

As I've stated many times throughout Rath's Reviews tenure: my disappointment does not necessarily equal a bad movie. In fact, Insomnia is rather impressive in quality, especially during a time before everyone and their mother seemed to be into crime thrillers. The most impressive thing about Insomnia isn't the director behind the lens though, it's right there in the poster. In early 2000s that cast of Al Pacino, Robin Williams, and Hilary Swank is downright impressive - and enticing to moviegoers. Pacino is the star of the film, taking up nearly all of its screen time and also the character who can't seem to sleep (hence the title). He's an LA cop sent to Alaska to solve the murder of a teenage girl and finds that - among other reasons - he can't sleep up in the north because it's always light out. Pacino is a talented actor and that shows here as he effortlessly leads the film. Side bar: if you want a current example of him in an impressive role, Prime Video's Hunters is pretty great. Swank, early in her career, plays an eager cop who gets to work with her idol (Pacino) on a case and does the part justice. The late Robin Williams comes in about halfway through as a mysterious individual who Pacino suspects. Suffice it to say Williams is great, but creepy here, and we (the audience) find that his usual brand of sincerity goes a long way to convincing us. 

"Stop! In the name of loooove! Before you break my heart!"

"You dressed up as Euphegenia Doubtfire,
did you not!?" 

The film plays out in a logical way and by the end of it I was left thinking, "That's it?". Again, that's largely because of the director involved, but even by crime standards, this isn't that exciting of a story. There's some good character drama and conflict here, and sure there are some intricate complexities, but at the end of the day, the broad strokes of the film are a bit dull. Hell, you even know exactly who the killer is about halfway through the film and there's really no tricks about it. Aside from some wonderfully captured imagery of the Alaskan landscape and a couple exciting setpieces (a log rolling scene is actually terrifying) this plays out how you'd expect it to and the parts of the film that were intended to add complications didn't really interest me. 

I should reiterate, Insomnia isn't a bad film and is well made, but aside from strong central performances and the rare, weird treat of seeing Robin Williams in a villainous role, it's very basic when it comes to what Nolan is known for and decently basic when it comes to crime thrillers. Both of those combined made this watch a "meh" experience with a director who I'm not sure has ever garnered that reaction from me before. 

CONS

• Bland, straightforward story that focuses more on character conflicts (that aren't super interesting) vs. the mystery of the case
• Plays out how you'd likely expect
• Some hyper editing during action sequences...one of Nolan's "sins" in early films

PROS

• Stellar performances across the board, especially from Pacino and Williams
• Great cinematography, including wonderful shots of Alaskan country
• Solid pacing and intensity when it needs it
• Interesting story and decent thriller

Retro Rath's Review Score | 7/10