Insomnia

As a more conventional follow-up to his innovative thriller Memento, Christopher Nolan's Insomnia offers ample proof that his skills are genuine. A superbly crafted remake of the 1997 Norwegian thriller, this moody police procedural is transplanted to a remote Alaskan town, where a veteran Los Angeles detective (Al Pacino) arrives to investigate the murder of a teenaged girl. Professional tragedy collides with psychological turmoil as the detective suffers from sleeplessness under the region's perpetual daylight, and a local rookie cop (Hilary Swank) begins to suspect that truths are being hidden as the disturbing case unfolds. While the Alaskan setting intensifies the atmospheric mystery, Pacino's bleary-eyed disorientation adds a rich layer to his character's erratic behavior, and the casting of Robin Williams as the killer was a risk that pays off nicely. In many respects better than the original, Insomnia is a Hollywood remake that's refreshingly free of compromise. --Jeff Shannon

Movie Details

Cast: Al Pacino, Martin Donovan, Robin Williams, Oliver 'Ole' Zemen, Hilary Swank, Paul Dooley, Nicky Katt, Larry Holden, Jay Brazeau, Lorne Cardinal, James Hutson, Andrew Campbell, Paula Shaw, Crystal Lowe, Tasha Simms
MPAA Rating: R
Running time: 118 min
DVD Aspect Ratios: 2.35:1

---

DVD Features:

Available Subtitles: English, Spanish, French

Available Audio Tracks: English (Dolby Digital 5.1), French (Dolby Digital 5.1)

Commentary by: director Christopher Nolan

Commentary by: actor Hilary Swank, production designer Nathan Crowley, editor Dody Dorn, cinematograher Wally Pfister, and screenwriter Hillary Seitz

Additional scene with commentary

"Day for Night" making of documentary

"180 Degrees": A Conversation with Christopher Nolan and Al Pacino

"In the Fog": Cinematography and production design

"Eyes Wide Open": The insomniac's world

Stills Gallery

International rating:

Europe: 15
Australia: M

DVD International release dates:
North America: Feb 3, 04