Insomnia2002

72/100 Not Nolan's best effort, but a very nice and gripping psychological thriller. The opening of this movie might have one persuaded that its just a regular thriller, and indeed it is for a majority of the runtime, lacking the "Nolan-esque" elements which were at their height in Memento. However, the movie sort of becomes less standard and more engaging as it goes on. Nolan directed here, but for once didn't write, resulting in one of his most straightforward and linear scripts yet. However, even with the limitations of the studio and another writer, Nolan makes the film his own, with some trademarks of his style and a sense of atmosphere created through the use of the Alaskan "midnight sun" setting, which works great at making you feel the protagonist's insomnia. This is helped along by stunning cinematography by Wally Pfister, really working for the stunning landscape. While the editing is a bit off in the last ten minutes, as Nolan never really figured out action scenes, it works for the most part. The performances really carry this film here, making up for the more standard story it plays out for most of its runtime. I know I already said the setting helps sell the protagonist's insomnia, but what really seals it is Al Pacino's performance, brilliantly playing a guy who's completely addled by this newfound sense of tiredness. Robin Williams also plays a much darker role here, and while I was skeptical at first about taking him seriously, his performance really sold me on this manchild of a killer. He has the best performance by far, along with great chemistry with Pacino, and its a crime we have to wait until over halfway through to see it. This movie isn't one of Nolan's best, it's not even close. In fact, I think its one of his weaker outings, but really the morality and grey areas at work here are great. I do think the film could've used more subtlety, exploring the mind of Pacino's character more than showing the physical conflict, but this is still a pretty good movie overall, and a very good crime thriller.