DVD Movie Rating for: Insomnia

4 Out Of 5

Movie Plot of: Insomnia

Sent from the city to investigate the murder of a teenage girl in a small Alaska town, a police detective (Al Pacino) accidentally shoots his own partner while trying to apprehend a suspect. Instead of admitting his guilt, the detective is given an unexpected alibi, but this "solution" only multiplies the emotional complexity and guilt over his partner's death. He's also still got a murder to solve, in addition to the blackmail and framing of an innocent bystander being orchestrated by the man they were chasing. There's also a local detective (Swank) who is conducting her own personal investigation... of his partner's death. Will it all come crashing down on him?

DVD Production Details of: Insomnia

Director: Christopher Nolan

Format: Color, Closed-captioned, Widescreen

Studio: Warner Home Video
DVD Features:
Commentary by director Christopher Nolan (in order of shooting sequence)

Commentary by actor Hilary Swank, production designer Nathan Crowley, editor Dody Dorn, cinematograher Wally Pfister, and screenwriter Hillary Seitz

Theatrical trailer(s)

Additional scene with commentary

"Day for Night" making of documentary

"180 Degrees": A Conversation with Christopher Nolan and Al Pacino

"In the Fog": Cinematography and production design

"Eyes Wide Open": The insomniac's world

Stills Gallery

Widescreen anamorphic format

Cast of the movie: Insomnia

• Al Pacino .... Will Dormer
• Robin Williams .... Walter Finch
• Hilary Swank .... Ellie Burr
• Maura Tierney .... Rachel Clement
• Martin Donovan .... Hap Eckhart
• Nicky Katt .... Fred Duggar
• Paul Dooley .... Chief Charlie Nyback
• Jonathan Jackson .... Randy Stetz
• Larry Holden .... Farrell
• Katharine Isabelle .... Tanya Francke
• Oliver 'Ole' Zemen .... Pilot
• Jay Brazeau .... Francis
• Lorne Cardinal .... Rich
• James Hutson .... Officer #1
• Andrew Campbell .... Officer #2

Photo Gallery of the movie: Insomnia

Click on one of the thumbnails to see the full size, high resolution photographs

Reviews of the movie: Insomnia

I saw this movie a few night ago after hearing a bunch of my friends talk about how cool they thought it was. The movie got off to a promising start, but then I just sort of lost interest as it went along. I just didn't find the movie to be that interesting or exciting. There was a lot of action in the movie and yet, all of it seemed kind of blah. However, I did find the performances by Al Pacino, Robin Williams, and Hilary Swank to be quite good. They weren't Oscar worth performances, though they were the best part of the movie. Overall, I can't say that I'd recommend the movie, although the performances save it from being a total stinker.

As a more conventional follow-up to his innovative thriller Memento, Christopher Nolan's Insomnia offers ample proof that his skills are genuine. A superbly crafted remake of the 1997 Norwegian thriller, this moody police procedural is transplanted to a remote Alaskan town, where a veteran Los Angeles detective (Al Pacino) arrives to investigate the murder of a teenaged girl. Professional tragedy collides with psychological turmoil as the detective suffers from sleeplessness under the region's perpetual daylight, and a local rookie cop (Hilary Swank) begins to suspect that truths are being hidden as the disturbing case unfolds. While the Alaskan setting intensifies the atmospheric mystery, Pacino's bleary-eyed disorientation adds a rich layer to his character's erratic behavior, and the casting of Robin Williams as the killer was a risk that pays off nicely. In many respects better than the original, Insomnia is a Hollywood remake that's refreshingly free of compromise.