Review: There’s no sleeping through ‘Insomnia’

Geoff Carter

Friday, May 24, 2002 | 10:03 a.m.

"Insomnia"

Grade: ***

Starring: Al Pacino, Robin Williams, Hilary Swank and Martin Donovan.

Screenplay: Hillary Seitz, Nikolaj Frobenius and Erik Skjoldjaerg.

Director: Christopher Nolan.

Rated: R for language, some violence and brief nudity.

Running time: 118 minutes.

Movie times: http://www.vegas.com/movies/

I haven't yet seen the Norwegian thriller upon which Christopher Nolan's "Insomnia," is based. Considering how much I admire actor Stellan Skarsgard, it's a remarkable oversight, one I'll need to rectify soon. Watching the source film will enable me to determine if Nolan's the blossoming genius I suspect he might be.

Nolan announced himself as an auteur with 2000's "Memento," a brilliant suspense piece that drew its fire from its performances and its innovative story structure -- the film ran backward, while the story ran forward. (See for yourself how this works, if you haven't already done so.) "Insomnia" attempts nothing as grandiose, but don't be fooled by its straightforward approach -- Nolan is most decidedly behind the wheel, and he's swerving as though he has nothing to lose.

A murder is committed in the Alaskan town of Nightmute. Two Los Angeles detectives, Hap Eckhart (Martin Donovan) and Will Dormer (Al Pacino), are called in to assist the investigation, but they're not coming just for plane ride: The two officers are on the verge of being nailed by Internal Affairs, and Hap is close to cutting a deal.

Pacino, as Dormer, is exciting to watch. He looks hellish, like a dirtier Columbo, and from the start of the picture he seems tired, broken. He's afraid Hap is going to bring him down, and in doing so set free every criminal he ever nailed -- sometimes by means he's not proud of. "I assign guilt," he mutters. "It's my job."

Nightmute's police department is puzzling over the death of a teenage girl. Dormer examines the body and is dismayed by what he finds: The killer washed the girl's hair, clipped her nails and didn't leave so much as a fiber on her body. "This guy crossed the line and didn't even blink," says Dormer, unaware he's about to cross the line himself.

A trap is set for the killer, but he manages to escape. Dormer pursues him over wet rocks through thick fog -- Nolan takes special note of Pacino's unsteady steps -- and in a freak accident, Dormer shoots his partner dead. It's an honest mistake, but Hap's dying words are "You tried to kill me" -- and all at once, Dormer isn't sure what his intentions were.

His mind only gets more clouded. Dormer has the misfortune of visiting Alaska during the season of the Midnight Sun, and he's unable to sleep. A local cop and admirer of Dormer's record, Ellie Burr (Hilary Swank), is assigned to write the report on Hap's murder, which Dormer blames on the fleeing killer. Drawing on Dormer's own professional advice, Ellie begins to suspect him.

Enter the killer. While fleeing the trap, Walter Finch (Robin Williams) witnessed Hap's shooting, and begins gleefully blackmailing Dormer, and shining a harsh light on his condition. "Nothing is lonelier than not sleeping," he tells Will in a late-night call. "You feel like the whole world's deserted."

Reluctantly Dormer meets Finch, and "Insomnia" speeds. Williams and Pacino are like two kings: They discuss each other's circumstances with airy detachment, as though nothing at all was really happening to them. "Under pressure, you don't always see the wood for the trees," Finch mockingly reassures Dormer. Pacino cuts him down: "You're about as mysterious to me as a blocked toilet is to a plumber." Both men are doing what they think is right, which doesn't change the fact that both are killers.

Nolan keeps as much color as he can out of the picture, and the skies are nearly always blank white. "Memento" editor Dody Dorn does another admirable job here, skillfully evoking the mind of a man who's slowly losing his head through quick cuts and a few sequencing tricks.

"Insomnia" isn't quite as innovative as "Memento," but it is solidly made and engaging, and may herald the arrival of a top-shelf talent. Only Stellan Skarsgard knows for sure.