Starring Al Pacino, Robin Williams, Hilary Swank, Martin Donovan, Maura Tierney, Nicky Katt, Paul Dooley, Jonathan Jackson. Directed by Christopher Nolan. A 17-year old is killed during the summer in an isolated fishing town in Alaska. Celebrated big-city detective Will Dormer (Pacino) and his partner Hap Eckhart (Donovan) arrive from L.A. to help solve the case. Solving some high-profile murders using questionable methods, they are both one step ahead of the L.A. internal affairs unit. The murdered girl was savagely beaten to death, but meticulously cut the girls nails and washed her hair. Some of the local cops aren't too happy, including Fred Duggar (Katt), who is annoyed at having to play second fiddle to the celebrity cop. Ellie Burr (Swank), who studied some of Dormer's cases at the police academy, is excited to be escorting Dormer around. Eckhart, bothered by his conscience and interested in saving his behind, tells Dormer that he will become a witness for interal affairs and put his troubles behind him. Dormer isn't happy about it at all. Later, when staking out an ambush at a cabin, a man walks by. He is cornered by the police, but gets away into the mist just after shooting a cop. Dormer sees a figure in the mist and shoots him, but it is not the killer. Worried that his shooting will not construed by the other officers as an accident, Dormer lies about it. But the real killer, a reclusive author Walter Finch (Williams) saw him, and tries to pressure Dormer into making a deal to keep both of their secrets. And it doesn't help that the combination of guilt and 24 hours of sun in the Alaskan summer prevent Dormer from getting any sleep night after night, to the point he can't think straight. Insomnia is a thoughtful mystery, almost completely devoid of gore or violence, despite the savagery of the murder. The film deals with the grey areas of guilt and innocence. Neither of the two main characters are completely good or bad, and neither are most of the supporting characters and suspects. As the movie unfolds, our perceptions about who is good and bad shifts. Burr offers a quote from Dormer's past "A good cop can't sleep because a piece of the puzzle is missing, and a bad cop can't sleep because his conscience won't let him", and the film allows us to draw our own conclusions. An interesting wrinkle is Dormer's own changing perception of what he did - he begins to question his own motivations. Do the ends of a successful prosecution justify using dishonest means? As with almost all jobs, people get sick of having to put up with annoying rules and technicalities, and just want to get the job done. In the case of law enforcement, whether a murderer is put away or an innocent man is convicted is crucial, so the corners that police officers cut has a lot more riding on it than in the average occupation. Dormer, at the end of a distinguished and prolific career, has to wrestle with the corners he's cut. Al Pacino tones down things a bit in his performance and nicely illustrates the moral conflict he has to work thorough. But in some ways the most interesting performance is delivered by Robin Williams, whose pursed smile is used only to send chills down your spine. His attempts to manipulate Dormer are very well-written, well-performed and the most fun to watch in the film. Swank and Tierney are given their good moments too, each having their own moral dilemmas to wrestle with. Insomnia is an adult, thoughtful film which challenges the audience to continually evaluate our perception about who and what is good or bad. The trip to Alaska is well worth taking. If you would like to respond, please click the E-Mail Press Here To Go To The Review List Page