Insomnia (2002)

Two Los Angeles homicide detectives are dispatched to a northern town where the sun doesn't set to investigate the methodical murder of a local teen.

Director:

Christopher Nolan

Writers:

Hillary Seitz (screenplay), Nikolaj Frobenius

Stars:

Al Pacino, Robin Williams, Hilary Swank

1 win & 11 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Al Pacino	...	Will Dormer
Martin Donovan	...	Hap Eckhart
Oliver 'Ole' Zemen	...	Pilot
Hilary Swank	...	Ellie Burr
Paul Dooley	...	Chief Nyback
Nicky Katt	...	Fred Duggar
Larry Holden	...	Farrell
Jay Brazeau	...	Francis
Lorne Cardinal	...	Rich
James Hutson	...	Officer #1
Andrew Campbell	...	Officer #2
Paula Shaw	...	Coroner
Yan-Kay Crystal Lowe	...	Kay Connell (as Crystal Lowe)
Tasha Simms	...	Mrs. Connell
Maura Tierney	...	Rachel Clement

Storyline

In Nightmute, Alaska, seventeen year old resident Kay Connell is found murdered. As a favor to the local Nightmute police chief, two Los Angeles Robbery Homicide police detectives, Will Dormer and Hap Eckhart, are called in to assist in the investigation. Although renowned in the police world, both Dormer and Eckhart are facing some professional issues back in Los Angeles. In Nightmute, Dormer has a major case of insomnia due to a combination of the incessant midnight sun and from a secret he is carrying. This insomnia is causing him to be delusional. Something he is not dreaming about is that the murderer has contacted him, informing him all about the murder and the fact that he knows everything that is going on with Dormer. They begin a symbiotic relationship in keeping secrets for each individual's benefit. But ambitious young local detective, Ellie Burr, might piece the story together on her own.

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Plot Keywords:

murder of a teenage girl | united states | detective | murder | police | 

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Taglines:

Days never end. Nightmares are real. No one is innocent.

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Genres:

Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language, some violence and brief nudity

Did You Know?

Trivia

Insomnia (2002) is director Christopher Nolan's first theatrical movie to be fully exhibited in color. In his previous theatrically released movies, Following (1998) is a full black & white feature while Memento (2000) comprises both black & white and color sequences.

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Goofs

At the beginning, when Ellie Burr is telling Dormer how she knows about his past cases, she asks if the scar on his neck is where Ronald Langley cut him during the Leland Street Murders case, but then immediately says that the Leland Street Murders were her case study at the academy. If so, she should have known that that was where he was cut. This could be attributed to the character's nervousness at meeting Dormer.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Hap Eckhart: There's just nothing down there. Nothing. I haven't seen a building in, like, 20 minutes. Look at that.
Will Dormer: We're not on vacation, Hap. Remember?

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Connections

Referenced in Film Geek (2005)

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Soundtracks

Sparks
Written by Guy Berryman, Jon Buckland, Will Champion, Chris Martin
Performed by Coldplay
Courtesy of EMI Records Ltd.
Under license from EMI-Capitol Music Special Markets

User Reviews

Clear Cut

Insomnia is almost a collage of several other mystery films (namely Se7en) tied into one, but not distinctively. Although it wasn't completely repetitive, it was as cliché as detective work goes, and the movie didn't stand out one way or another. Whether it's the elusive murderer on the loose or the mentally plagued cop who's trying his best, this movie is predictable and lacks ingenuity.

Accompanying the lack of creativity, the prime actors and actresses had average performances and the emotional conviction in the roles was often lacking. A straight plot followed by routine dialogue made Insomnia rather mundane and an effort to watch. Although there were particular exciting scenes, they were rather short and sparse. The resources were there, but execution was a miss.

Whether it's L.A. Confidential, The Usual Suspects, Se7en or any other great mystery movie, these all had a strong emotional attachment that hook viewers into truly empathizing with the protagonists and mystery at hand. Unfortunately in Insomnia, it's almost like you already know the fate of the characters, and still don't care.

Details

Country:

USA UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

24 May 2002 (USA)

Also Known As:

Insomnia

Filming Locations:

Woodfibre, British Columbia, Canada

Box Office

Budget:

$46,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$20,930,169, 26 May 2002

Gross USA:

$67,355,513

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$113,758,770

Company Credits

Production Co:

Alcon Entertainment, Witt/Thomas Productions, Section Eight

Technical Specs

Runtime:

118 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1