Rating: 
Summary: The Following
Review: Let's just get this out of the way, Insomnia is not as good as Memento. I mention this simply because most of my conversations about this film have started like this: "What did you think of Insomnia?" And the answer would go something like, "It was good, but not as good as Memento." Well I don't think that is fair to this film, the performers, or, in particular, Christopher Nolan. Memento is an exceptional film, if not a great film. If Nolan had tried to plug his Memento formula into his next project we would have got another Jackie Brown, I prefer Insomnia. So what do I think? Insomnia is a studio film (a good one at that), a step in the right direction, and it has Al Pacino (The MAN). Disclaimer: Please read someone else's review for a plot summary. I'm not going to spoil, but I just want to talk about why I like it. So, why I like it. Well first, and most certainly foremost, this is first rate filmmaking. Christopher Nolan is a star. Momento was brilliant on several levels, but it was a gimic picture to a certain extent (see it if you haven't). By this rational it is also an innovative film, but that separates it from Insomnia, they shouldn't be compared. However Nolan puts his stamp on Insomnia, much like he did Momento, i.e. Nolan is a unique talant, not a pan in the wash. His pacing is masterful, his visual style is purposeful and consistent, his story is engaging, and he has Al Pacino. Al Pacino. He hasn't been on the screen since Any Given Movie and it was well worth the wait. This DVD has a unique feature on the commentary track. The commentary follows the shooting schedule instead of the narrative. This allows the audience to see how Pacino works. It is a great special feature, as good as any I've seen. It goes without saying that Pacino is an amazing actor, but to be able to see how he evolves and molds his character is such a gift. Watch how the camera envades his personal space, watch how Pacino embraces it. I thought he was excellent in this film. The other heavies are good, but this is Pacino's movie. He carries it. One last thing, the daylight in this film. Nolan has made a dark film in constant light. Inspired.
Rating:
Summary: Quirky thriller
Review: In Insomnia, Al Pacino is an LA cop of dubious reputation who is called upon to investigate a crime in Alaska. Some call this a more conventional effort from Memento director Christopher Nolan, yet it doesn't play like a standard thriller. The landscape and especially the long days in Alaska are as much part of the film as the characters. Pacino is a top notch investigator but is also a fish out of water away from the big city. He becomes involved more directly as events occur, and there is a great deal of uncertainty as to how things really happened partway into the movie. Enter Robin Williams, who plays a solitary writer who comes along to "assist" the investigation of a girl's death. Williams has done great work dramatically before, and he fits his role in Insomnia perfectly; he plays off against Pacino very well. Hilary Swank is a local cop, relegated to minor insignificant duties by her male colleagues, and she both idolizes Pacino's character as well as being a determined investigator on her own. There are some great scenes here, the chase across the floating logs, the shooting in the fog, and Pacino's great difficulty at adjusting to the midnight sun (to say the least). It's a thriller but a bit different.
Rating: 
Summary: Insomnia
Review: ... Although this movie started out with a "Bang"~ it left me sitting there when the credits started to roll by wondering "Did I miss something"~ The ending is a huge disapointment~ Would I recommend this movie? ? 50/50~ ...
Rating: 
Summary: Not as deep as you think................
Review: Nolan has in fact proven himself as a wonderful director and story teller, but I would never use this film to showcase his talents. Insomnia does have strong points, from its beautiful cinimatography to its incredible acting from such veterans as Pacino and Williams and even newbie Swank. The film has a promising premise, a killer on the lam and a detective who is slowly fading into oblivion due to sleepless nights. The setting is perfect for such a mystery, a film noir in the forever seeming daylight, but the plots strengths end there. What seems to be a very deep murder mystery eventually floats to the shallow end of the lake as the film drags on to its un satisfying end. I wanted to love this film, but got bored instead.......
Rating:
Summary: Well crafted psychological thriller aimed at adults
Review: The fascinating psychological thriller "Insomnia" is a remake of an excellent Norwegian movie released about five years ago. In large part, it succeeds in improving upon the original because it fleshes out the relationship between the main character and the killer he is pursuing. Detective Will Dormer [Al Pacino] and his partner are dispatched to the far reaches of Alaska to help investigate the grisly murder of a young woman. Internal Affairs has them under investigation back in Los Angeles, and their trip seems to be part of a plan to get them out of the way for awhile. With the help of local detective Ellie Burr [Hilary Swank], the investigation starts out well, but soon Dormer is plagued by insomnia triggered by the lack of darkness during the Alaskan summer. After a couple of days, fatigue sets in, and he begins to falter. The situation gets much worse after a dreadful accident occurs during a stakeout. It isn't long before the killer [Robin Williams] begins to play a deadly cat and mouse game with him. [Note: Saying who plays the killer gives almost nothing of the plot away.] The cast is uniformly excellent. Director Christopher Nolan, whose last film was the highly original thriller "Memento", again takes on the tricky concept of time. In this case, Dormer's insomnia causes him to lose track of time in a palce where there is no night. In the process, he also loses track of himself. "Insomnia"s main theme is moral ambiguity, and Dormer's not knowing whether it's day or night serves to underscores that theme. [Everything is relative.] This is a sophisticated thriller for adults. Its few action scenes seem almost beside the point, as if they were placed there as an afterthought to make the movie more appealing to mainstream audiences.
Rating: 
Summary: Better Than "Memento" and "Following"
Review: Much as I enjoyed Chris Nolan's "Following" and "Memento", he really pulls out all the stops with this third film. I saw the foreign film upon which this was based and, unusually, this is the better film. (Usually American remakes of foreign films are total schlock but that is not true here.) It has some key ingredients for achieving this though. First off, a first rate script that no one has "Hollywoodized." Secondly, letting Al Pacino and Robin Williams loose with their talents on first rate material and, in Williams' case, against his usual type, was sheer genius. The two are absolutely superb together. Pacino is the anti-hero cop who investigates a murder case in Alaska while trying to cope with a partner (Martin Donovan) who is going to turn state's evidence against him when they return to LA. Not only will this ruin his career but it might also release all the murderers Pacino's character put away in prison. The partners are trying to track down the villain, Williams. Surprisingly though, instead of running, Williams' villain comes forward and plays with Pacino's character, preying upon his weaknesses. Pacino is further handicapped by not being able to get any sleep because of a variety of factors but not the least of which is that he's not used to sunlight 24/7 which occurs in Alaska in the warmer weather. Martin Donovan and Hillary Swank do very good work as the other detectives but it is hard to compare them against the sheer star power and magnetism of Pacino and Williams together. The murder case is actually not as important as the unravelling of these two men's characters. Buy it. I did and it's not going anywhere!
Rating:
Summary: Once more Hollywood steals...
Review: The original Erik Skjoldbjærg version stands head and shoulders above this release-it at least was original and not just a Hollywood re-packaging job. This version... attempts to re-make a fine movie for consumption by the US population. Don't give me the excuse that "North American audiences only want this English version." They have been marketed the "desire" to consume this version and the monopolistic distribution mechanism is why this version has sold. Why didn't they put the original version's actors on the Dave Letterman, Jay Leno and the rest of the Hollywood re-marketing division shows? It is the TV advertising for weeks and then the screenings at every theater in the country that "made" this version a success.
Don't forget this is a copy of a great movie; any good aspects of it come from the original and not from this version's directorial skills or even the actors. Just a suggestion for those involved-try being original for a change. BTW I give this version 0 stars and two thumbs down...
Rating:
Summary: Boring
Review: Long drawn out, the pace is that comparable to a turtle. I imagine it could have been good if they would have picked it up a bit. However Robin Williams needs to stick to comedy. He is not the killer type at all, thus his role is fairly unconvincing!
Al Pachino as always mastered the part, to the best of his ability. Hillary Swank was very good, for the first time that I've seen.
All and all though it's not a movie to run out and pay a lot for, wait until the rental price drops or it's on cable!
Rating:
Summary: Pretty enjoyable thriller!
Review: Al Pacino plays a detective who's being investigated by Internal Affairs for his alleged illegal activities in bringing bad guys to justice.
He's put on a case in a remote northern place in Alaska where the sun only rises and falls once a year. Trapped in a world where the day does not end, the detective suffers from Insomnia and has to keep his mind clear in order to pursue a murderer and stay out of trouble while doing it. Accidentaly shooting your partner doesn't really help much either. Robin Williams is clearly into psychos lately. I didn't really think his performance in "One Hour Photo" was all that good, but in this movie he's got his act together. Al Pacino is pretty good in his part, although not as great as I have come to expect from him. All in all, I enjoyed this movie. Catch it if you get a chance!
Rating:
Summary: Great Start......Fizzled at the END!
Review: This movie was so compelling in the begining. The plot for the first hour and a half and acting were excellent. Al Pacino is excellent as usual. Excellent cinematography and boy it really grabs you; However, all that build up and the ending was so predictable. My guest and I were saying, "What the heck was that". When the credit rolled we were sitting there with our mouths open. Was that it? Did we miss something? All that great acting and that ending? It is worth seeing simply because Al Pacino and Robin Williams are in it. I give it 3 stars for the cast and cinematography.
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