Insomnia - Criterion Collection

Rating:
Summary: the good shoots in both
Review: I like both films (Hollywood and original one). Both of them present the great performance and story telling. The actors of both are doing great. However, there seems to be concerned of politic correctness in Hollywood version and losing the tone of reality in discussion of the confusion vs. clarification in morality

The original one shows the less moral detective being struggling between the consciousness and delusional sense. Despite the sex scandal around him before he lands his job in that small town and dog killing to manipulate the evidence, he grabbed one girl's leg while driving her to see the crime scene. Also, he sexually assaults the hotel clerk behind the desk. The scene that really touches me is that when the detective placed the weapon that kills his partner under the innocent young man's bed to put him into guilty plea. That scene would not happen in the Pacino's role in the new version. In Hollywood's one, there is struggle between consciousness and denying. However, Pacino's struggle is mostly being contributed to the dead of his partner from the friendly fire and nature environment. Pacino's role of new version is still more "perfect" in morality with the tones of demanding audiences' sympathy rather than the discussion of integrity of the detective's role. For me, Al Pacino's role is also to play as the victim under the stress of insomnia and current incident surrounding him. On the other hands, Stellan Skarsgard's one would demand less sympathy and could show you the sense that everyone could play as devil as guilt'

Rating:
Summary: An Intelligent Insomniac
Review: I saw this version about three years ago, and it is still my favorite. Ok so the plot is not original but this movie is much more intelligent than the Al Pacino version which came out later on. If you do see the A.P. version see this one first because there are differences:
a) The dog is killed by the detective but the dog is already dead in the other version.
b) Jonas makes an attempt to have foreplay with froya, but this does not happen in the other version.
c) Jonas gets away with the murder and lives, but dies in the other version.
Both are facinating to watch because of the moral standards in American cinema as opposed to Norwegian cinema. However, Skarsgaard (Ronin, Seventh Sign, Good Will Hunting) played a much more convincing detective, and Robin Williams played a much more convincing villian. I wish that Skarsgaard had reprised his orginal role.

Rating:
Summary: not that good, but better than the american version.
Review: i'm not that experienced with norwegian independent films. but, on a whim, i rented this movie with my friends just prior to going to see the new version (Nolan, 2002) and found them both very enjoyable. However, in terms of characterisation and plot development, I found this version to be much more worthwhile. first of all, this makes the protagonist to seem much less ethical and moral in comparison to the 'heroic' al pacino in the new version. It was what it claimed to be : a straightforward psychological thriller, with the added quirk of the amorality - or seeming nature thereof - of the protagonist.

Directorially, and cinematographically, however, it's nothing really new. If anything, it feels slightly dated in production and direction. For a crisper, more "avant-garde" touch, try the new version - and just don't watch the last fifteen minutes. That's what America (Hollywood) does to good, ambiguous plots like these.

Rating:
Summary: Plainly an awesome film
Review: I've seen this version long before the new version came out, and I will definately give the Norwegian one all the credits. The new American version isn't bad, but its one of those movies I wouldn't see more than 1 or 2 times. The original version is one of my favourites. It's one of those movies that make you "think". Though it is in another language, it does complicate things for a lot of people. But since I understand some of the language, it also helps increase my listening skills ;-) Anyway, this movie is very well developed and it's a great movie overall . Only if it shows more photography of Norway's great scenery, it will definately be more attractive and motivating.

Rating:
Summary: A dark and exciting murder mystery from Norway.
Review: In a small (northern) Norwegian town an insomniatic policeman is on the case of a murdered teenager. With problems of his own the police man struggles to find a killer and motive. This movie stars the Swedish actor, Stellan Skarsgard known for his role in Good Will Hunting. This is a great movie for anyone who would like an unpredictable Scandinavian mystery. In Norwegian and Swedish with English subtitles.

Rating:
Summary: Skarsgard shows what he's made of
Review: Insomnia is quite an achievement for a first time feature director, Erik Skjoldbjærg. The photography is very good and the FEEL of the picture is top notch. Not a mystery with a gimmick ending, Insomnia instead is a moody, almost creepy portrait of a detective who's meager morality nearly rivals his prey. Skarsgard is brilliant, he is quite a presence on screen in contrast the small roles he has been limited to in Hollywood. While the Pacino remake is a good movie, the original is a darker, braver film.

Rating:
Summary: insomnia vs insomnia
Review: Insomnia vs Insomnia. The differences in the two versions-both of which are quite good-illustrate the difference in cultural consciousness. An American audience-like a Scandanavian one-is willing to accept an ambiguous protagonist. And both versions offer one. An American audience-like a Scandanavian one-is willing to accept a protagonist on the edge. And both versions offer one. The difference is in the depth of the ambiguity-American audiences will only go so far in accepting a hero with an uncertain morality. In the Norwegian version: main character wants the girl in the car and takes a bit of her; kills the dog (it's found dead in the American version); saves nobody but himself (rescues the female cop in the American version); and is identified with the killer more clearly especially at the key moment when he loses control of himself with the counter girl at the hotel. All of this is essentially gone in the American version, neatly filled in by the IA investigation back story...Not a fundamental flaw, not damning like The Vanishing vs The Vanishing, but it is clear that Nolan new he couldn't get as murky as he did in his first outing...

Rating:
Summary: A web of his own making
Review: It has to be appreciated that Detective Jonas Engstrom is from Sweden and not accustomed to the land of the midnight sun of northern Norway, and that the sunlight streaming through his hotel room giving him insomnia is relentlessly there twenty-four hours a day. Thus his judgment is flawed, and when in a fog (literally) he accidentally shots his partner and close friend, his decision to cover it up rather than face the difficulties of owning up is understandable. What follows is a demonstration of the truth of the adage "Oh, what a tangle web we weave when first we practice to deceive" (from Sir Walter Scott).

What is superior about this somewhat familiar plot is both the resolution and the atmosphere. Although this is a realistic cop drama several light years beyond standard US TV faire, and comparable to the best Hollywood efforts, and features a gifted and accomplished actor in the lead role (Stellan Skargard, whom I last saw in the very disturbing Breaking the Waves (1996)), it is not completely realized. We are troubled by the decisions that Engstrom makes, particularly in framing an innocent young man, to say nothing of his shooting the dog; and while we understand how he became caught in this trap of his own making, we feel there must be something more than the midnight sun to account for his disintegration. His aborted affair with the hotel clerk Ane (Maria Bonnevie) contributed to the general sense that he was falling apart cognitively and emotionally. But why?

Nonetheless this is a smooth, compelling drama, well crafted by director Erik Skjoldbjaerg, whose talent is obvious. I am looking forward to his next film, the intriguingly titled, Prozac Nation (2000). Gisken Armand as the overseeing detective (and Engstrom's conscience) attracted my eyes as I watched her watching Engstrom. She does a good job in a subtle role. Bjorn Floberg as the writer who occasions the story is sufficiently slimy to arouse our profound distaste and to make us wish that Engstrom would add murder to his other crimes... But does he?

Rating:
Summary: Minimalistically scary
Review: It is inevitable that anyone who has seen the American version of Insomnia will compare it to this version. And honestly, there is nothing in this Scandinavian version that the American version lacks. If anything, the characters are more developed in the American one, and the acting is better. But that doesn't mean that this version isn't worth watching. The cinematography is artistic and the sets are spare, which makes the movie scarier, and the language barrier faced by the Swedish detective (Skarsgard, whom many will recognize from Good Will Hunting) while traveling to Norway is interesting. However, the villain is nowhere near as chilling as Robin Williams' interpretation, and the hero is as much a villain himself as the man he goes after. So for those who prefer simplicity and attention to atmosphere over a developed plot, this is a very good foreign thriller. Otherwise, stick with the Pacino version.

Rating:
Summary: EYES WIDE OPEN
Review: Let's imagine the same movie located in the Arizona desert instead of the arctic frontier and with a mexican-american cop hero instead of the swedish inspector lost in the utmost northern part of Norway. You've got it ? Good ! Don't you think that the plot of INSOMNIA looks more familiar now ? One could even say that hundreds of movies have already treated the subject of the detective breaking the law because of drugs abuse, heavy drinking or hot sun. So, don't judge INSOMNIA by its plot only, you would be disappointed.

In director Erik Skjoldbjaerg's INSOMNIA, presented by Criterion, chief inspector Engstroem has to struggle against the midnight sun, the six months a year 24/24 daylight and a permanent insomnia. Reflexes become less fast, reason and ethics are lost in the foggy landscapes of this strange part of the world and a fatal error of judgment can lead to a succession of law-breakings that wouldn't have happened if only Engstroem could have slept.

Very good cinematography with a zest of agreeable arty effects makes of INSOMNIA a film to watch. At least, once. Superb menu from Criterion with, alas, poor extra-features. Sound and audio perfect for me.

A National Geographic DVD.