Christopher Nolan, the acclaimed director of Following and Memento, delivers another gripping thriller in his remake of the Norwegian film Insomnia. Utilizing his adept understanding of the human psyche, he creates a film that is both haunting and suspenseful. Though it may not keep you lying awake at night, Insomnia will surely keep you on the edge of your seat.

When Detective Will Dormer and his partner, Hap Eckhart are asked to leave behind their native city of Los Angeles to help solve a murder case in a small Alaskan town, they have no idea of the dangers that await them. While in pursuit of a possible suspect Will accidentally shoots and kills Hap, having mistaken him for the suspect. But was it really an accident? Back in L.A. Hap was being asked to testify against Will, who had been using some unorthodox and illegal methods to serve justice. Will reluctantly covers up his role in Hap's death so as to avoid suspicion as to whether or not the shooting was intentional. Now Will is consumed by guilt and is unable to sleep. His insomnia grows more intense, and as he's in part of Alaska where the sun doesn't set for months, he blames his sleepless condition on the light. Yet there are two people who know what's really keeping him awake at night. Ellie Burr, a young and intelligent Alaskan detective, begins to see that Will is clearly disturbed by something and she is compelled to find out what. Meanwhile a strange, reclusive pulp novelist named Walter Finch begins calling Will. Finch says that he witnessed Hap's death at Will's hands, but he won't tell the authorities so long as Will agrees to help him in return. What presents a problem is the fact that Walter Finch is the very murder suspect that Will was pursuing when the accidental shooting occurred. And there can be no denial that Walter Finch is a killer. The two men find themselves forced to work together to conceal their mutual guilt, but when Detective Ellie Burr starts to uncover the truth, Will is faced with a moral dilemma. Shall he admit his faults, lose his job, and suffer the legal ramifications for what happened in L.A. and for what happened to Hap... or shall he choose to align himself with sociopathic Walter Finch in order to save himself? And what of Ellie Burr, whose youthful enthusiasm and integrity Will has come to respect and admire? Can he protect her from the truth that incriminates him and will inevitably lead her to Walter?

Abandoning the complex narrative structure of his previous film Memento for a more straightforward storytelling style, Nolan manages to maintain a high level of suspense. He also uses numerous visual tricks to keep viewers interested in the conflicts of the characters. As Will Dormer becomes more exhausted the lights become brighter, things seem to move about him without reason, and he begins to experience hallucinations and extreme confusion. What is so remarkable is that, through all of this the viewer is able to follow the sequence of events and differentiate between reality and illusion.
The cast features Al Pacino as Detective Will Dormer, Robin Williams as Walter Finch, and Hilary Swank as Detective Ellie Burr. Not a member of the cast gives a bad performance and each of them manage to hold their own, which is a feat in itself. Hilary Swank, in particular, is great as the young idealistic Ellie Burr. Also adding an unforgettable presence to the film is Robin Williams who creates a truly frightening villain, and yet at the same time he's so charismatic that you almost sympathize with him. As for Pacino, he gives a strong performance but it's nothing that he doesn't normally do on a regular basis.

Also recommended:
Strangers on a Train
The Long Goodbye
...And Justice for All
Witness
The Silence of the Lambs

Insomnia is already one of the best films of the year. Chris Nolan who brought has the excellent Memento follows up with this brilliant film. Al Pachino is great in the lead role but the scene stealer here is Robin Williams. When you see the film you'll know what I mean. I won't go into the plot all I'm saying is go see it

Three very good character actors come together in a crime drama/
mystery in the long summer day of Alaska.
A shooting during a chase results in a detective's death.
The murder, then, saw the detective kill his partner
and when the detective finds him, he blackmails the detective
who has been finding it very hard to sleep.
Get some sleep... it is a nightmare in Nightmute
for the detectives!

Insomnia is a good thriller thats worth buying for many reasons:

Its a top notch cast. Al Pacino gives one of his his finest late performances as the detective who can't sleep investigating a murder. Robin Williams matches Pacino in his second great role that year (see One Hour Photo for the other), and the always good Hilary Swank gives a very good performance supporting the two main leads.

The director is Christopher Nolan (Memento, Batman Begins, The Prestige), who seems to have a natural talent for these type of films. He does a fine job with the actors as well as capturing the sometimes haunting nature of the Alaskan landscape. Nolan is helped by a taught script, and with a running time of less than 2 hours, you will find it difficult to sleep through.

I haven't seen the original 1997 version of this film. From what I've heard its the better of the two, which means it must be very good. However for a mainstream Hollywood movie this remake is remarkably restrained and makes compulsive viewing.

"Insomnia" is a combination of cat and mouse suspense between the murderer in this movie played by Robin Williams & that of a seasoned, hot shot, LA detective played by Al Pacino AND whether or not Pacino's character is in fact a good cop or good cop made into a bad cop by the system.

The acting and storyline are good, but not great in "Insomnia". Robin Williams isn't as convincing as the bad guy in this movie and the movie could have been a tad less predictable in the ending, but otherwise a good movie overall.