Warner Bros. | 2002 | 118 mins. | Rated R
At the very least, Robin Williams has had an eclectic film career. He has scored several Oscar nominations and a Best Supporting Actor win in 1998 for Good Will Hunting. After that, he spent years doing little more than light weight fluff such as Patch Adams, Jack, Bicentennial Man and What Dreams May Come. In 2002, he took his career in a dramatic direction with the psychological thriller One Hour Photo, and a supporting role in Insomnia, starring Al Pacino. While Insomnia is unquestionably Pacino’s film, this is one of Williams’ most memorable performances. There’s just no denying that he does creepy remarkably well.
Directed by Christopher Nolan (Memento, Batman Begins, The Dark Knight, Inception) and based on a 1997 Norwegian film of the same name, Insomnia follows Will Dormer (Pacino), an L.A. police detective called to the small town of Nightmute, Alaska, to help solve a murder case. Dormer has serious professional and personal issues that torment him the whole time he’s there. His Internal Affairs Department is probing his alleged planting of evidence at a crime scene, and he’s got a terrible case of insomnia to boot. The sleep disorder is not helped by the fact that the sun is up in Alaska nearly twenty-four hours a day.
The crime in Alaska concerns the beating death of a seventeen-year-old girl by a killer who has carefully cut off her fingernails and toenails. The town’s police chief, Charlie Nyback (Paul Dooley), is an old friend of Dormer’s and has called him in to help. Eager to escape his troubles in L.A., Will is happy to lend a hand. He brings along his professional partner, Detective Hap Eckhart (Martin Donovan). They team up with a local police detective, Det. Ellie Burr (Hillary Swank), a woman who has respected and admired Dormer for years, studying his most famous cases in the police academy; together they investigate the case.
This is one of those films where you don’t want to say too much or you’ll give it all away. Suffice to say, the investigation proceeds briskly, and in a stakeout Hap gets shot—by his partner. Was it an accident? Or did it have something to do with the internal affairs investigation going on back in Los Angeles? Why does the murderer keep calling Dormer at his Hotel, where his insomnia is only getting worse?
As for Robin Williams, he plays writer Walter Finch, the prime suspect in the killing of the girl. A local fellow, he admits to knowing her because she was a fan of his mystery novels. To that end, they met often to discuss the craft of writing. He also admits to trying to protect her from her abusive boyfriend, Randy (Jonathan Jackson).
Insomnia quickly becomes a cat and mouse game, a battle of wits between two guilty men, both of whom try to justify their actions but fail miserably in the attempt. But who is the guiltier of the two? Finch, a cold blooded killer, or Dormer, a man caught in a trap of his own design with two possible means of escape: compromise the truth further, or destroy his reputation by owning up to his mistakes.
Watching the interaction between the two men is what makes Insomnia a solid film. Without the cat and mouse game, we’d have just another standard police procedural and without Pacino and Williams in their roles, we likely would have nearly as much intensity. Be forewarned though, Insomnia isn’t so much about mystery as suspense.
Warner uses a VC-1 encode to present the picture in its original aspect ratio, 2.40:1, in high definition. Sharpness and detail are the most striking aspects of the transfer and help make the panoramic views of Alaska’s glaciers and wilderness breathtaking. The picture remains clear throughout, with only a light print grain to remind us of the natural textures of objects and people. Delineation is excellent, and colors are rich, with strong black levels to set off the contrasts.
Lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 supplies the audio, and it’s sharp and clean. Most of the activity we find in the back speakers is minor ambiance enhancement, but every little bit contributes to the overall sonic realism. However, when the few instances of surround sound do occur, they are quite effective, like a passing truck and a near drowning. In addition, expect a balanced frequency response, and solid deep bass.
All of the special features, unless otherwise noted, are in standard definition.
• Director’s Commentary (106 minutes): The entire film is presented in the order in which it was shot, with subtitles identifying the production day and the corresponding scenes Nolan tackled. (For example: “Days 2 & 3, Scenes 91, 93, 95-106.”) Granted, watching a film unfold in such a fragmented state is a bit strange, but it’s also fascinating. Nolan takes the opportunity to focus on the nature and challenges of an actual, nonlinear shoot, discussing the actors’ development of their characters, the nuances of their performances, on-the-fly alterations made to the script, overcoming lighting and weather obstacles, specific coverage techniques, last-minute changes dictated by unforeseeable circumstances, and countless topics that aren’t generally covered in commentaries.
• Scene Specific Commentaries (42 minutes): Individual scene-specific commentary tracks are available from actress Hilary Swank, screenwriter Hillary Seitz, director of photography Wally Pfister, production designer Nathan Crowley, and Editor Dody Dorn. A “Play Combined Commentaries” option also allows users to enjoy the mini-tracks via a more traditional experience.
• Day for Night (8 minutes): A behind-the-scenes featurette in which Nolan and key members of his cast and crew discuss the production, elements of the story, Robin Williams’ performance, the look of the film, and more.
• 180 Degrees (17 minutes): Nolan and Pacino sit down for an unscripted conversation (circa 2002), and the results are interesting. Both men are thoughtful and candid, and their analysis of the film and its characters is interesting.
• In the Fog (12 minutes): Cinematographer Wally Pfister and Production Designer Nathan Crowley reflect on footage they shot during preproduction.
• Eyes Wide Open (7 minutes): This brief, clip-heavy piece introduces genuine insomnia, as well as several everyday men, women and physicians who deal with it on a daily basis.
• Additional Scene (3 minutes): A single, inconsequential scene with optional director’s commentary.
• From the Evidence Room (HD, 23 images): A basic stills gallery.
• Theatrical Trailer (2 minutes)
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