Insomnia (Widescreen) (US)

"Insomnia" is one of those films that is difficult to explain without giving away facts that are essential to potential enjoyment of the film, so I`ll stop before I go any further with the plot details. I have not seen the original film, although this remake does reportedly follow the first film fairly closely. There are twists throughout the film that I found unpredictable and, while the film eventually becomes a cat-and-mouse psychological thriller, Nolan keeps the film moving, taut and intense.


Al Pacino manages to generously share the screen to bring out the talents of those around him instead of overpowering every scene he appears in by screaming out his lines. Pacino does a fine and more restrained performance that is a credit to the actor's rich lineage of great performances. Robin Williams manages to give a convincing performance without falling over the top and in fact ends up being one of the more shocking portrayals of madness and cunning behavior seen in a film this year. Hilary Swank is purposely cast as the rookie detective who idolizes Pacino's character only to discover the dark side to his past actions. As much as the film is about guilt and catharsis, "Insomnia" is very much about the craft of writing with many of the character conversations between Pacino and Williams falling into the realm of character and motivation as well as plot. Overall, "Insomnia" is a terrific film definitely worth seeing now that Warner Home Video has released it on DVD.

For a single disc release, "Insomnia" is one the best DVD releases from Warner Home Video this year. Go out and buy it now!

A nice thriller that starts real nicely but loses some of its momentum during its 118 minutes runtime.
The video transfer is good. There are no compression signs and the color separation is superb. The amount of detail in each shot is great and the landscapes of Alaska are breathtaking.
The DD 5.1 soundtrack is somehow flat. The surrounds are used occasionally, but they could`ve been used a lot more to enhance the eery atmosphere of the movie.
The menus are animated with sound.
The extras include 2 commentaries (by the director and the crew - what`s nice about the director`s commentary is that the movie is shown in the chronological order the scenes were actually shot - while clearly not helping the storyline, this feature is a true gem for new filmmakers, who can see just how difficult it is to shoot a movie in a non-chronological order), a behind the scenes look (which also includes some medical explanations about insomnia), a deleted scene and a photo gallery.
Bottom line - an ok movie that could`ve been a bit better (hadn`t it been a remake of a Norwegian movie from 1997).

This is a total great movie. Al Pacino is at his best in this. 9/10.