Facebook Twitter Instagram
    Latest
    • Thank You
    • 4000. Scenes From A Marriage (1973)
    • 3999. The Pianist (2002)
    • 3998. Philadelphia (1993)
    • 3997. Jeanne Dielman, 23 Quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles (1975)
    • 3996. The Green Mile (1999)
    • 3995. Doctor Zhivago (1965)
    • 3994. Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (2022)
    The Mad Movie Man
    • Home
    • Blog
      • All Posts
      • Best Of The Year
        • Best Of 2015
        • Best Of 2016
        • Best Of 2017
        • Best Of 2018
        • Best Of 2019
        • Best Of 2020
        • Best Of 2021
        • Best Of 2022
      • The Decade In Review
      • Box Office Analysis
      • James Bond
      • Oscars
      • RANKED
      • Star Wars
      • The Big Questions
      • Top 10
      • World Cinema
    • Ratings
      • Top 250
      • Top 100 Foreign Films
      • Bottom 50
      • 0 – 1.9
      • 2 – 3.9
      • 4 – 5.9
      • 6 – 7.9
      • 8 – 10
    • Genres
      • Action
      • Anthology
      • Animation
      • Christmas
      • Comedy
      • Crime
      • Documentary
      • Drama
      • Fantasy
      • Film-Noir
      • History
      • Horror
      • Kids’
      • Musical
      • Psychological
      • Romance
      • Sci-Fi
      • Short
      • Silent
      • Sport
      • Superhero
      • Survival
      • Thriller
      • Western
    • Release Year
      • 2020s
      • 2010s
      • 2000s
      • 1990s
      • 1980s
      • 1970s
      • 1960s
      • 1950s
      • 1940s
      • 1930s
      • 1920s
    • Country
      • Afghanistan
      • Argentina
      • Australia
      • Austria
      • Belgium
      • Brazil
      • Cambodia
      • Canada
      • Chile
      • China
      • Colombia
      • Costa Rica
      • Czechoslovakia
      • Czech Republic
      • Denmark
      • East Timor
      • Faroe Islands
      • Finland
      • France
      • Germany
      • Georgia
      • Greece
      • Hong Kong
      • Hungary
      • Iceland
      • India
      • Indonesia
      • Iran
      • Iraq
      • Ireland
      • Israel
      • Italy
      • Japan
      • Latvia
      • Lebanon
      • Laos
      • Malaysia
      • Mexico
      • New Zealand
      • Nigeria
      • North Korea
      • Norway
      • Paraguay
      • Peru
      • Philippines
      • Poland
      • Romania
      • Russia
      • Saudi Arabia
      • Singapore
      • South Korea
      • South Africa
      • Soviet Union
      • Spain
      • Sweden
      • Switzerland
      • Syria
      • Taiwan
      • Thailand
      • Turkey
      • Uganda
      • United Kingdom
      • United States
      • Uruguay
      • Vietnam
      • Zambia
    • About
    The Mad Movie Man
    You are at:Home»Review»525. Insomnia (2002)

    525. Insomnia (2002)

    0
    By The Mad Movie Man on April 14, 2014 110-119 mins, 2002, 8 - 10, Apr 14, Crime, Drama, Movies Of 2014, Psychological, Review, Thriller, United States
    8.0 Thrilling
    • Acting 8.1
    • Directing 7.9
    • Story 8.1
    • User Ratings (0 Votes) 0

    Starring: Al Pacino, Robin Williams, Hilary Swank

    Director: Christopher Nolan

    Running Time: 118 mins


    Insomnia is an American film about two LA detectives who are sent over to an Alaskan town, where the sun never sets, to investigate the mysterious murder of a local teenage girl, however, soon other forces begin to interrupt their investigation.

    Well, here you’ve got an interesting blend of classic Christopher Nolan and psychologically insane madness, as well as a fascinating crime story that not only keeps you on the edge of your seat as the investigation deepens, but manages to enthrall you in various emotional ways as you connect with the main character.

    The most fascinating thing about this film is how many different aspects and story lines there are, which makes for a very well-rounded film that manages to get to you in so many different ways.

    Firstly, there’s the story on the surface about the murder investigation. It starts off as a hugely mysterious and unpredictable story, and although it begins to slow a little bit, especially as the suspect becomes a more prevalent character in the story, it becomes a lot deeper, more psychologically intriguing and more perilous, especially for the main character.

    A huge part of what makes this film so enthralling is the brilliant central performance given by Al Pacino as the LA cop sent over to Alaska. As well as managing to appear as the intelligent and experienced person in the insane situation that is this film’s story, Pacino shows a very evidently weak side to his character, which is hugely exploited by the plot, allowing you to both grow closer to him as well as learn more about his deep emotions as the story unfolds.

    There’s also the whole story about the internal conflict in the police department, alerted by a strange event very early on, which completely changes the rest of the film, and begins to hugely affect the whole psyche of the main character, which not only deepens the emotional context of the story, but creates a greater conflict within the plot.

    As proof of how exciting this film is, it’s basically a mix of The Silence Of The Lambs and Fargo, with the crime story evoking the horror of Buffalo Bill, and the solitary setting of the film, as well as Hilary Swank’s very Marge Gunderson-esque character seeming almost identical to the brilliance of Fargo.

    There was perhaps only one slight disappointment. The subplot following how Pacino’s character struggles to sleep for seven days on end because of the fact that it never gets dark in the town was not as powerful as I expected. For the majority of the story, this little psychological theme is touched upon, however not until the very ending (which is hugely thrilling) does it seem to be having any impact on how the detective deals with the investigation.

    Overall, though, this gets an 8.0, because it was a thrilling, intriguing and surprisingly deep story that very rarely slipped up.

    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
    The Mad Movie Man
    • Website
    • Facebook
    • Twitter

    The Mad Movie Man, AKA Anthony Cullen, writes articles and reviews about movies and the world of cinema. From January 1st, 2013 to December 31st, 2022, he watched and reviewed a movie every day. This is the blog dedicated to the project: www.madmovieman.com

    Related Posts

    8.2

    4000. Scenes From A Marriage (1973)

    7.8

    3999. The Pianist (2002)

    8.2

    3998. Philadelphia (1993)

    Follow Me Online!
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
    • Tumblr
    New Releases
    8.2
    December 25, 2022

    3994. Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (2022)

    5.6
    December 10, 2022

    3969. Falling For Christmas (2022)

    6.9
    December 4, 2022

    3956. The People We Hate At The Wedding (2022)

    5.4
    December 3, 2022

    3954. Disenchanted (2022)

    7.4
    December 3, 2022

    3953. Meet Cute (2022)

    7.6
    November 23, 2022

    3934. Do Revenge (2022)

    7.0
    November 18, 2022

    3929. The Wonder (2022)

    6.7
    November 13, 2022

    3924. See How They Run (2022)

    Recommended Movies
    8.4
    Review
    March 9, 20180

    2080. Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story (2007)

    8.2
    Review
    December 31, 20180

    2400. The Best Of Youth (2003)

    8.4
    Review
    December 31, 20140

    800. Lawrence Of Arabia (1962)

    8.6
    Review
    March 27, 20130

    100. Taken (2008)

    8.6
    Review
    May 8, 20210

    3340. Touching The Void (2003)

    Popular Posts
    December 31, 2022

    Thank You

    8.2
    December 31, 2022

    4000. Scenes From A Marriage (1973)

    7.8
    December 30, 2022

    3999. The Pianist (2002)

    8.2
    December 29, 2022

    3998. Philadelphia (1993)

    7.5
    December 28, 2022

    3997. Jeanne Dielman, 23 Quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles (1975)

    9.1
    December 27, 2022

    3996. The Green Mile (1999)

    7.6
    December 26, 2022

    3995. Doctor Zhivago (1965)

    © 2023 ThemeSphere. Designed by ThemeSphere.

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.