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Insomnia
Sent to a small Alaska town to investigate the murder of a teenage girl, a veteran police officer is forced into a game of psychological cat-and-mouse by a primary suspect after his partner is...  View more >

Starring Al Pacino, Hilary Swank, Robin Williams...  View more >

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Reviews Summary


Please Note: Reader Reviews are submitted by the readers of The BigScreen Cinema Guide and represent their own personal opinions regarding this movie, and do not represent the views of The BigScreen Cinema Guide, or any of its associated entities.

[--- See Now! ---]by  
May 31, 2002
Summary:
Excellent movie, engrossing in it's plot, enthralling acting by Pacino and great supporting cast. A good way to spend a Friday night with a friend.

Good:
* Acting overall is excellent. I've had friends mention that Pacino didn't look tired enough, but being experienced insomniacs, maybe they know better than the rest of us. I thought he looked like a zombie near the end.

* Town had an appropriately eerie emptiness, without overdoing it. I think it helped build the sense of lonliness that Pacino's character would experience.

* I really liked the cop Fred, played by Nicky Katt, and Pacino's partner Hap, played by Martin Donovan. Katt did an excellent job with his sparse role, as did Donovan.

Bad:

* Could William's character REALLY have been that sharp? Did this guy have a freaking FBI file on Pacino's character or what? But I guess he was the studious type and could have figured out most of it...although the isolation might have meant getting copies of, say, the L.A. Times might have involved either money or a lot of travel to a suitable library. And maybe the Internet, sure, but I don't remember seeing a computer in his apartment (he typed on that typewriter, remember).

* I didn't see the need to show a fully nude corpse, but it's my opinion that nudity should be used sparingly, and to prove a point. I just didn't see the need to show her nude, even if that's realistic.

* Aren't gunshots loud? And even in Alaska, uncommmon on town's streets?

* The movie seemed a bit long...I thought they could have cut down sections and been ok.

Bias:
* I wanted to see more about the innkeeper / bartender Maura Tierney -- she played an interesting, if mysterious character. Good in her limited role though.

* I was really impressed by Pacino overall though, and by all involved, although Swank initially came off being a little too bright-eyed and bushy-tailed for my liking. But as her character hardened a bit during the film (an obvious tip of the hat to us, the audience, as we grow up with her) she became more tolerable and quite believable near the end.

* I also wondered if someone besides Williams might have been a better choice for the role -- the visual image of someone still fixed in my mind as a funny-man is jarring in his situation. But Williams did a more than capable job, I thought, and as the movie progressed I accepted him more and more.

Ratings (out of 4)
Dialogue/Plot - 3.5
Acting - 3.5
Ambiance - 3.5
Bias - 4.0

Total - 3.7/4.0
Jun 5, 2002
A suspense thriller starring Al Pacino as a Los Angeles detective who journeyed to Alaska to investigate a murder of a teen-ager.

A prime suspect in the case, a local writer, played by Robin Williams in a changed of pace performance. The film was directed by Christopher Nolen, whose film "Memento" is such a hit on the indie curcult. In that film, Guy Pierce has problems with memory loss, in "Insomnia" Pacino is having problems falling alsleep.

Pacino gives a great performance. He's full on energy. I love Hillary Swank's performance too. While there's a break in the acting, you can watch the Alaskin backdrop. It is beautiful.
[--- Good ---]by  
Jun 9, 2002
A solid, very well made movie. It's not nearly as Momento. But then again, not many movies are. I feel I got my moneys worth, but then again, I didn't pay for it.

There are no special effects, there are no huge action sequences. Just Al being a great actor, being held up by a great cast.

It was good, but not great. I'm glad I saw it once, but I probably won't spend money to ever see it again. There is nothing that makes it better to watch in the theatre, so with that in mind, you should see it at budget or on video.
Aug 14, 2002
Very impressive. Great story. Great cinematography. Great cast.
Apr 29, 2003

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