This Movie Can Only Be Described With One Word.

This movie was so-so. It had it's moments, but wasn't the greatest.

The story-telling is good with flashbacks.The film is both funny and heartbreaking. You smile in a scene and get a soulcrushing revelation in the next.

I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.

(Flash Review)Pacino nails a great character study of an experienced detective on the verge of losing his reputation, integrity and mind. His character also finds himself in a game of outwitting the suspect he is attempting to capture played very well by Robin Williams. In perusing Williams, Pacino makes a couple decisions that Williams takes advantage of partially due to Pacino's lack of sleep during the endless light in Alaska of Summer. Will Pacino nab him in the end or let him slip through his fingers to protect himself from his bad decisions? This was a solid mystery/thriller with great acting and a nicely packaged story.

Al Pacino is one of the greatest character actors in the past 40 years, and while not every one of his films have been met with the same level of success, he still tries to give it his all regardless. His performance in 'Insomnia' is a good example of this.The film finds him as an LAPD detective who is nearing retirement and is called up to investigate a murder of a teen in a small Alaska town where there is 24 hours of sunlight for months at a time. The premise itself is really intriguing, and with an all-star supporting cast of Hilary Swank and Robin Williams, it's hard to go wrong. That said, the execution of 'Insomnia' is a bit clunky, as the screenplay is a major letdown. The twist is pretty easy to spot from a mile away regardless of the curve balls that are thrown into the mix. Also, it's hard to take Williams seriously in a serious role, considering he always shined when dishing out one-liners in comedies.Still, there's plenty to like about 'Insomnia.' For one, the setting in the wilderness of Alaska (or, British Columbia, to be more accurate) is a nice change from the cityscapes we're used to seeing in these kinds of thrillers, and the inner battles that Pacino's character fights while in the midst of everything else adds another dynamic to things, in addition to the lack of sleep in the midnight sun that causes even more chaos.'Insomnia' is not Christopher Nolan's best directing effort, but his signature style comes through in the thriller and it's worth a watch.

I was originally drawn to this film because of director Christopher Nolan. After viewing his Batman re-boots (Batman Begins & The Dark Knight) and enjoying them immensely, I was hopefully that Nolan's other works would provide some of the same. In the case of Insomnia, he makes a much more "traditional" film, shrouded in a bit of false advertising to make it seem a bit more mysterious than it really is.For a basic plot summary, the film centers on policeman Will Dormer (Al Pacino), who travels to an Alaskan town to try and solve a murder case. With an Internal Affairs investigation breathing down his neck back home, Dormer is under intense pressure to succeed in this new arena. While teaming with local cop Ellie Burr (Hilary Swank), Dormer not only struggles to solve the case, but also gets mixed up with mysterious writer Walter Finch (Robin Williams).On the whole, this movie functions pretty well as a traditional cop drama. It has the murder mystery, the gun shootouts, and the intrigue plot line which questions the integrity of pretty much everyone involved. Without looking for anything more, this would be a very solid film.However, the film is advertised/promoted as so much more than just a cop drama. The title itself indicates that the condition of insomnia will play a big role in the film, but it does not (Dormer not sleeping doesn't seem to add anything to the plot). Robin Williams's role is billed as a taut, psychological thrill-ride, but he doesn't make an appearance until an hour into the movie and even after that point is severely underutilized. Also, Swank's character is introduced as a potential key part in the film, but she (like Williams) just isn't given anything interesting to do.Thus, I can only give this film an "average" rating due to its inability to rise above a simple cop drama.

Christopher Nolan follows the flawless MEMENTO with this, another one-word title film and another inventive, superb effort. Based on a Norwegian movie (which I haven't, as yet, seen), this tells the oft-told tale of a world-weary cop vs. a nasty and particularly slimy killer. What makes it special is the script – very believable and down-to-earth – and the characters, who are so realistically drawn that you can easily believe they are living, breathing people. The setting of the icy, desolate Alaskan town is very good indeed, combined with excellent cinematography which brings out every characteristic of the location and makes it feel really unique. Nolan shoots his film expertly, mixing in some fine chase and action sequences (the log run is brilliantly conceived) with the heavier, more dramatic moments.Al Pacino is fine in the role of the ageing, flawed cop. Sure it's a performance we've all seen before but he makes it extra special with his singular powers of method acting and realism. You feel tired just looking at his weary, end-of-the-road cop. The supporting cast are all fine but it's Robin Williams who really steals the show as the killer, Finch. Williams is nasty, slimy, villainous, creepy, and totally scary, a mundane and quiet little man who's prone to bursts of a violent psychopathic nature. The film remains unpredictable throughout, letting the suspense build gradually as the cat-and-mouse storyline increases the tension, before ending in a sudden burst of violence and excitement. Magnificent stuff, sadly all too rare these days in Hollywood but a reminder of what a good director, a good script and a good cast can really do.