Review: Insomnia

NOTE (Added on: 12/27/03): Ahem. Reading this review from almost two years ago makes me nauseous, as many others do. However, there's false information in this one that should not be ignored. Insomnia doesn't make my top 100 of all-time, and probably not even my top 300. Correction noted? Okay, good.

As I think about it, Insomnia is the best movie so far this year. Even though it doesn't have much of a twist to it, it still is one heck of a thriller. Everything was perfect about this movie except for one minor flaw. The cast was right, the setting was right, the direction was right; Insomnia easily makes my top 100 movies list. I respected the atmosphere of this movie the most, it just felt right when I was watching it (aside from the fact that I strained my neck because I was forced to sit in the 2nd row.)

Insomnia takes place in small town Alaska, where it is light out all day and all night. I bet you can guess where the sleeping problems come in to play? Will Dormer (Al Pacino) is a top detective who flies into town to investigate the death of a teenage girl. He soon finds out that the murderer is Walter Finch (Robin Williams). But he decides that he better not tell for awhile because Finch knows a secret about Dormer that could ruin him for life. The murder-investigation soon makes its way into his sub-conscious, creating severe insomnia. While Dormer is trying to get some sleep, young trainee Ellie Burr (Hilary Swank) knows he is up to something; leading Dormer to think that she knows too much, and is on his tail.

The cast is what really amazes me in Insomnia, who knows how they got three big stars in one small movie! Al Pacino is one of the greatest actors alive and I greatly admire his work. This was also a nice turnaround for Robin Williams, instead of playing the nice, comic guy, he was the apprehensive, but dangerous nerdy criminal. And Hilary, oh yes! She reminds me of the young Jodie Foster. Watching her in this role was like watching the Clarice Starling of the new millennium. Everyone just flat-out nailed their part in this film.

The one flaw that I would like to talk about in this movie would be in the beginning. I thought that they put together a tacky first scene that needed some improvement. The green screen job was kind of half-assed, considering the new technology that we have in this day and age. I mean, five years ago I would've loved it, but now with advanced technology, there was definitely room for improvement. The movie as a whole was amazing, but this scene really bothered me.

In conclusion, Insomnia is the best movie so far this year and one of the greatest murder-mysteries ever. You should definitely spend the seven some odd bucks and go and see it now! It was a great piece, and all of the work put into it shall be admired. I deem Insomnia one of the greatest one-hundred movies ever made in the history of film!

-Danny, Bucket Reviews