Review of Insomnia

Introduction

Ah, to be a director with the Midas touch, to have the public awaiting your every movie with eager anticipation, regardless of subject. It`s a thoroughly enviable position that few directors have occupied, and even fewer of them can combine critical as well as commercial acclaim. In the early eighties, that director was Spielberg, and his films were guaranteed entertainment. He rarely put a foot wrong. The nineties saw a glimmer of promise in M. Night Shyamalan, who with his mainstream debut The Sixth Sense shook up the Hollywood status quo, and placed bums on seats. Unfortunately, it wasn`t long before his star waned, as it became apparent that he kept making the same movie. It can be a fine line between directorial style and repetition, and fortunately it is one that Christopher Nolan hasn`t crossed. Four major movies, and four resounding successes make him the 21st Century`s first directorial golden boy. He truly hit the Hollywood big time with the reinvention of the Batman franchise, and followed that up with another quirky success in The Prestige. But it was the inverted narrative of Memento that made audiences sit up and take notice, and with that success he attracted some serious a-list talent for his second major film, Insomnia.

A particularly brutal and calculated murder of a teenaged girl is beyond the capabilities of the law enforcement of a small Alaskan town. To investigate the crime, two LAPD detectives are flown in. There is an ulterior motive though. Internal Affairs is investigating corruption in their department, and it seems politic to have them incommunicado for a few weeks. They arrive during the Alaskan summer, when the sun never sets, but the spectre of the Internal Affairs investigation follows them. Detective Hap Eckhart wants to cut a deal to protect his family, while Detective Will Dormer sees a legacy of high profile arrests about to vanish in smoke. When a lead opens up in the murder case, the police lay a trap for the killer. However, the fog closes in, and in the mistiness Eckhart is shot when Dormer mistakes him for the killer. Dormer`s first instinct is to cover up the shooting, but then he gets a phone call from the girl`s killer. Now Dormer must keep his own actions quiet, avoid being blackmailed by a murderer, and escape the probing questions of Detective Ellie Burr, who has been assigned to investigate his partner`s shooting. And he hasn`t slept since he got there.

Video

Insomnia gets an excellent 2.35:1 anamorphic transfer. The great cinematography is shown off to excellent effect. The image is clear and pin sharp throughout. This is a film that really focuses on the characters, and you can practically see every pore on their faces. Even the mistier, murkier scenes fare well, with no evidence of macro blocking or similar artefacts. There is the slightest moiré, a hint of aliasing in some scenes, but hardly worth mentioning really.

Audio

You have a choice of DD 5.1 French and English, with subtitles in several languages. The dialogue is clear and the surrounds are put to effective use when required. I especially appreciated how it was used to convey the disorientation of someone in dire need of sleep. Regular Nolan collaborator David Julyan scores the film, and his music is perfect for the eerie mood and slight otherworldliness that is depicted.

Features

This disc comes loaded with copious extras, the majority of which are contained in the "Production Diaries"

Most interesting is the "180º: A Conversation with Christopher Nolan and Al Pacino" It`s an informal chat about the filmmaking process, which is fascinating to watch. This lasts 17 minutes.

"Day for Night: The Making Of Insomnia" lasts 8 minutes and pretty much does what it says on the tin, with plenty of input from the cast and crew.

"In The Fog" offers a look at the Cinematography and Production Design. Unfortunately, it looks like the same footage repeated over, each time with differing contributions from Director Of Photography Wally Pfister, and Production Designer Nathan Crowley.

There are two commentaries on this disc.

The first with Christopher Nolan takes a look at the film, but in shooting order (so your disc will be grinding all over the place). It`s an innovative way to look at the film, and is very informative. Incidentally, this isn`t feature length, and actually lasts 1 hour and 42 minutes.

Even shorter is the second commentary. This sees contributions from Hilary Swank, Hillary Seitz (screenwriter), Wally Pfister, Nathan Crowley and Dody Dorn (editor). You can play all the scene specific contributions individually, or utilise the play all option. If you do, you`ll note that the running time for all these interjections is 40 minutes. Also note that you can`t select the commentaries from within the film, and you can`t change tracks on the fly.

Back on the main extras page, you`ll find and "Eyes Wide Open" featurette, which looks at some real insomniacs.

There is an additional scene that lasts 3 minutes, and you can view this with or without commentary from Christopher Nolan.

Finally there are 28 images in a stills slideshow.

All the extras, except the commentaries are subtitled, but none of them are subtitled in English.

Conclusion

Insomnia is an outstanding film, one worthy of being in any collection. Yet it`s fair to say that as a thriller it`s pretty run of the mill. The murder isn`t too convoluted, the cat and mouse that develops between Dormer and the killer, Finch isn`t particularly original or fresh, and the spectre of the Internal Affair investigation looming over events borders on cliché. All the ingredients of a typical fast food Hollywood thriller are there, but this is one of those rare occasions that the hamburger meat, sesame seed bun, fries, processed cheese and ketchup somehow turn into a gourmet meal.

Insomnia really excels as a character study. It`s watching the disintegration of Will Dormer that is so compelling, and of course it`s Al Pacino`s performance that is at the heart of it. I`m used to the bellicose firebrand Pacino of films like Scarface, Heat and Scent Of A Woman, characters with flashing eyes and bellowing speech, an American Brian Blessed. In Insomnia we find a subdued and understated Pacino. Dormer is a world-weary, beaten man, haunted by his demons, carrying the burden of his guilt. Pacino gives a measured performance that is as mesmerising and as charismatic as anything he has done.

It`s that understatement that infuses the film, which lifts the thriller aspects above the mundane. The IA investigation that drives the wedge between Dormer and his partner could have been clichéd, but it`s played so matter of fact, without excessive drama that it never once feels hackneyed. The shooting of Eckhart, the girl`s murder and the hunt for the killer all feel like subtext, underlying the journey into Dormer`s psyche.

The supporting cast give strong performances. Robin Williams makes for an effective and intelligent villain in Finch, one who avoids the usual formula by just being a normal, ordinary fellow. Of far more interest is Dormer`s relationship with Ellie Burr, as played by Hilary Swank. She is the local detective assigned to the case, and the two develop a mentor student relationship based on mutual respect. It`s interesting to see Dormer`s desire to cover up his actions conflict with his wish that the young detective remain untainted. In fact, it`s easy to see Finch as the devil on Dormer`s shoulder, urging him to do wrong, while Ellie is the angel on the opposite flank advising honesty.

The film is effective in showing Dormer`s state of mind and his dissociation from reality as his insomnia deepens. The constant daylight is unnerving and the cinematography makes the most of that. Nighttime is only apparent when the streets are deserted, yet the longer Dormer stays awake, the brighter and more exposed everything seems. Add to that the altered perceptions and hallucinations that come with lack of sleep, which are effectively realised through editing and sound design. This being a Christopher Nolan film, there is a hint of fractured narrative, an unexpected twist and the tendency to play with audience assumptions.

Insomnia is a splendid little film that is utterly entertaining, with a memorable performance from Al Pacino. It`s also decently laden with extra features, and this long after its release is a permanent resident of bargain buckets throughout the land. Now you have no excuse not to give it a try.