As Christopher Nolan has increasingly focused on huge and bombastic IMAX spectacles, almost to the point that he’ll soon have nowhere bigger left to go, his very small and intimate 2002 thriller Insomnia often gets lost in the arc of the director’s career. Even though I doubt many fans would say they dislike it, when they remember he made it at all, I’ve rarely seen any rank it among their favorites. By that measure, it’s surely his most underrated film.
For my part, I’d argue that many of Nolan’s other films are overrated. Nevertheless, almost all of them share a strong common DNA and directorial signature. Insomnia is an outlier in that regard. His second feature after his breakout Memento, and his first to receive wide theatrical distribution by a major studio, the movie was and remains Nolan’s only attempt to remake someone else’s work, in this case a 1997 Norwegian thriller by filmmaker Erik Skjoldbjærg that had already gained some recognition in the American market.
Nolan was brought on to helm an English-language version after Jonathan Demme dropped out, but claims he was a fan of the original and wanted to do the remake. Even so, an argument can made that Insomnia feels noticeably less personal to Nolan than most of his other movies. On this rewatch, I might be convinced that’s a good thing.
| Title: | Insomnia |
| Year of Release: | 2002 |
| Director: | Christopher Nolan |
| Watched On: | Blu-ray |
| Also Available On: | Various VOD rental and purchase platforms |
The marketing department at distributor Warner Bros. no doubt counted their blessings when handed a film headlined by three Oscar winners. Out front is Al Pacino, playing essentially the same character Stellan Skarsgård had previously, though of course renamed to sound less Norwegian. Will Dormer (that new name might be just a touch too on-the-nose there, don’t you think, Chris?) is a Los Angeles police detective shipped out to the far reaches of Nightmute, Alaska. Officially, his business is to help an old friend in the local PD with a murder investigation. Unofficially, Dormer wants to put some distance between himself and a scandal brewing about him back home.
Upon arrival, Will and his partner, Hap (Martin Donovan), are greeted eagerly by a rookie detective named Ellie (Hilary Swank), who’s something of a fangirl for Dormer’s work and has studied all his past cases, except apparently for the most recent one. She’s thrilled to have his assistance looking into the death of a teenage girl. Murder is a rare occurrence in a small, remote town like Nightmute, probably the biggest thing to happen there in years, and Ellie might come across as a little too enthusiastic about it.
Dormer takes charge of the case with all the swagger Al Pacino can muster (which is considerable), arrogantly proving himself faster, smarter, and more observant of small details than the other local cops, most of whom, other than Ellie of course, resent his presence. He quickly deduces that the killer isn’t the girl’s abusive boyfriend, but rather someone more methodical, calculating, and certainly older. This theory is met with much skepticism.
The thing about Nightmute is that the sun doesn’t set there for a few weeks during the summer months, a geographical effect known as perpetual daylight or midnight sun. (In reality, the actual Nightmute is a little too far south to experience this, but the movie asks you to go with it. Also, the name “Nightmute” sounds awfully cool to use in this story.) As the days go without darkness, Dormer can’t adjust and can’t sleep.
The film makes no surprise of the killer’s identity and neither will I. Local mystery author Walter Finch (Robin Williams) calls Will directly, both to taunt him and to blackmail him. He knows a secret about something Will’s done and tries to use it as leverage to foist his own crime off on a patsy, that aforementioned boyfriend. On the other side of the case, Ellie starts noticing that the details of Will’s story don’t entirely add up.
That plot set-up may sound like the makings of a pretty conventional Hollywood cat-and-mouse thriller. While director Nolan doesn’t entirely resist that, nor does he lean into it too strongly. The film is polished, suspenseful, and has a really great set-piece in the middle, but also takes its time to build the story in a quite, calm, and patient manner. Unlike most of his other movies, this one has a straightforward, linear narrative structure and no punishingly-loud, epic action sequences. Its only gimmick is the prolonged daylight.
Insomnia is a character drama first and foremost. The main action here is the dynamic between Dormer and Finch, each man trying to outsmart and manipulate the other. Dormer may be an experienced and savvy detective, but Finch knows all the tricks and twists of a good murder mystery. He lies to the other cops but is always truthful to Will, because he thinks he holds all the cards, which he may well.
Yet Finch is also no Hannibal Lecter. Maybe Dormer is right and the man will kill again after getting a taste for it, or maybe his crime really was an act of passion that he’ll never commit again. He’s clever, but not necessarily a criminal mastermind. He makes mistakes. He overplays his act as a helpful bystander because he’s convinced that he’s so much smarter than everybody else. Dormer’s disadvantage is his sleep deprivation. The longer their game continues, the more Will loses energy, stamina, and mental well-being. Were he not so hobbled by exhaustion, he’d win this match more easily. Meanwhile, Finch is well adjusted to the environment and has no such problems.
It’s easy to say that Robin Williams plays against type, but the comedian had proven his dramatic chops a number of times before, and would play another killer later in the same year’s One Hour Photo. He’s excellent, and makes the Finch character menacing without turning into a demented psycho villain.
Pacino’s performance is more layered that you’d initially expect. As the movie starts, he’s exactly the cocky, showboating Al Pacino from Scent of a Woman or Donnie Brasco. As it goes on, he becomes progressively slower, sloppier, and more haggard, to the point he can barely see straight or stand up. He’s practically a walking corpse compared to Williams’ aloof but fully alert adversary.
Most of these traits, the film borrows directly from Skjoldbjærg’s original, as unfortunately is one very obvious plot turn, involving a character whose fate is written on his face the second he appears on screen. Nolan’s direction is tight but not flashy, and he doesn’t seem to do much to make the movie his own. That’s probably why it’s largely been forgotten over time. In my opinion, however, this is one the few instances he prioritizes the characters ahead of his own need to be seen as the visionary director of a Big Important Movie.
I still love Memento as Nolan’s highest peak, but with this viewing, notwithstanding a nitpick or two, Insomnia may just edge into second place for me.
The Blu-ray
Warner Bros. released Insomnia on Blu-ray in 2010. At this writing, the studio hasn’t announced anything about 4K for the title. If you’d also like to check out the original 1997 Norwegian film, the Criterion Collection put that one on Blu-ray in 2014.
In any case, the disc for Insomnia has traits similar to many Warner Blu-rays from the same time frame. In other words, it looks a bit soft, sometimes frustratingly so. If that’s a DNR problem, it doesn’t appear overly smeary or waxy to me (I’m looking at you, Predator “Ultimate Hunter Edition”). On the other hand, it has only minimal grain. Some light edge enhancement also intrudes into the 2.40:1 image every once in a while.
Overall, the Blu-ray is acceptable, but has significant room for improvement. I’m sure a 4K remaster would go a long way.
Christopher Nolan has always loved his bass. While Insomnia may not be a skull-crushing powerhouse like, for example, Interstellar, the musical score delivers some nice bass hits right off the bat. The movie has a pretty great sound design that uses long stretches of quietness punctuated by startling gunfire or other unexpected noises. The underwater sequence is a real standout auditory demo. The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track has excellent fidelity. Surround activity is subtle but effective.
The disc case art boasts of two audio commentaries, some deleted scenes, a small handful of featurettes, a still gallery, and a trailer. I didn’t spend time with any of them, sorry.
Related
- Christopher Nolan (director)
- Al Pacino
- Robin Williams
- Hilary Swank
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