Scene Selection — Geoff Carter: ‘Insomnia’: This year’s sleeper hit

Friday, Nov. 1, 2002 | 8:09 a.m.

Geoff Carter is a Seattle based free-lance film critic and entertainment writer. Reach him at carter@pre2k.com.

One of the best films of 2002 may be close to escaping your notice. Christopher Nolan's "Insomnia" grossed just over $66 million at the box office last summer -- a healthy sum, but less than half the gross of "Scooby-Doo."

Nolan might have gotten away with more, were it not for those meddling kids.

It's not too late to set things right. The DVD of "Insomnia" (Warner Home Video, $26.98) is now available. This remake of a Norwegian film of the same name is one of the most compelling crime dramas of recent years, and a true actor's film.

Al Pacino and Robin Williams are both cast against type -- Pacino as sickly, Williams as a psychotic -- and playing to the top of their form. An earnest turn by Hilary Swank completes the formidable package.

Pacino plays the fittingly named Will Dormer, the nonsleeper of the title and a successful but somewhat dirty Los Angeles detective. He and his partner Hap Eckhart (Martin Donovan) flee an Internal Affairs investigation to help solve the murder of a girl in the Alaskan town of Nightmute, where the sun shines 24 hours a day.

Dormer is rightfully afraid that Hap is going to bring him down with his plea bargain, and the two men are at odds even before the plane lands.

Before long Dormer is close to apprehending the killer, chasing him over wet rocks through thick fog. In a freak accident, Dormer shoots Hap dead.

It's an honest mistake, but Hap's dying words are "You tried to kill me" -- and Dormer, already delirious from lack of sleep, believes him.

The killer, a hack crime novelist named Walter Finch (Robin Williams) witnessed Hap's shooting, and calls Dormer to torture him.

"Nothing is lonelier than not sleeping," he says to Dormer. "You feel like the whole world's deserted." Dormer is forced to conspire with Finch to cover his own tracks, even though he knows Finch is guilty.

Nolan, the celebrated director of "Memento," delivers the commentary on "Insomnia" with the insight and patience of a college professor. He drew top performances from everyone involved, on camera and off, and is modest about his involvement almost to a fault.

Despite praise from all his actors and producer Steven Soderbergh, it takes no less than Michael Corleone to draw Nolan out and get him to acknowledge his good work.

The best of "Insomnia's" collateral materials is a segment called "180 Degrees: Christopher Nolan Interviews Al Pacino," and the only fault I can find with the segment is its title.

Nolan asks Pacino a few questions, but Pacino asks as many of Nolan, and volunteers one anecdote after another: being on the set of "Serpico," consoling a desolated Francis Ford Coppola.

It's what "Inside The Actor's Studio" should be -- two creative men talking shop, and trying to learn from each other.

"I've only discovered recently that there's a technique to film acting," Pacino admits sheepishly.

Nolan, for his own part, admits that he was too broke to do reshoots on "Memento." Within three minutes, actor and director have forgotten the cameras and are deep in discussion.

It's just over 16 minutes in length, but could have continued for an hour or more. The conversation is that engaging -- almost as gripping as the film itself.