Insomnia (2002)

Insomnia (2002)
by Nick Schwab

Insomnia is oftentimes engaging, sharply photographed, and nicely acted despite its genre conventions. It reminds one of the old film-noir movies, and even has a trace of Hitchcock in the subtle way most of the movie proceeds with its psychological-thriller concepts (the sense of quiet creepiness reminds one of Shadow of a Doubt.) Although the simplistic plot concerning a web of lies and murder wrecking psychological sleep deprivation on a homicide detective that is working to find a killer in an Alaskan town may not do much to advance this genre, the film is quite watchable. It is captivating formulism.

In part this is due to the film's leads in Al Pacino and Hilary Swank that play their characters impeccably, and the real surprise of the main cast is Robin Williams. Giving a very understated and nuanced performance as the killer, Williams reminds one of the low-key villains that have a sense of soft-spoken eeriness to them and crooked logic that makes their manner oftentimes just as scary as a raving lunatic due to them feeling like your average, kind next door neighbors. The acting also complements the mood of the movie, as well.





-
Read the full story at UnRatedMagazine.com