Viking Night: Insomnia
By Bruce Hall
August 19, 2014
BoxOfficeProphets.com
Nolan’s remake evokes the psychological turbulence at the heart of Memento (his previous film), while highlighting tremendous insight into dark, tormented heroes - which he sadly hasn’t used for anything since. Trading the Arctic Circle for Alaska and Stellan Skarsgård for Al Pacino, Insomnia proves to be a studious and equally affecting reimagining of what was already a very good film.
Pacino plays Will Dormer, an aging LAPD detective who’s already tired when the movie starts. Despite his legendary reputation, an Internal Affairs probe is circling one of his old cases, causing him no end of professional grief. Dormer and his partner Hap Eckhart (Martin Donovan) have been dispatched to the remote town of Nightmute, Alaska to help the police chief – an old friend – solve the brutal murder of a young girl. Their escort is an eager young officer named Ellie Burr (Hilary Swank), who is a student of All Things Dormer to the point where it borders on creepy. Still, anxious to get started, the detectives dive right into the case.
Because that’s how it happens in movies, after 20 minutes on the case, Dormer immediately determines that the killer is male, is familiar with police procedure, and was well known to his victim. The list of suspects is quickly narrowed down to two people - the victim’s boyfriend and an unknown individual of obvious financial means. As the investigation expands, Dormer discovers that they’re so far north that this time of year it never gets dark. Morning, noon, and midnight – it’s all the same. That’s a hard thing to take for a man whose life is already wearing at the seams.
The police set a trap for the killer, successfully luring him back to the scene of the crime – a fog-shrouded cabin in the woods. Things go wrong when in the mist and confusion, burdened by fatigue, Dormer accidentally shoots his partner. With all that’s happened, he knows it will look bad - so he pins the shooting on the man they were chasing. Torn apart by guilt, driven by insomnia, he presses on, only to receive a call from a man identifying himself as the killer, claiming he witnessed the accidental shooting. The killer insists he didn’t mean to do what he did – it was a crime of passion. Now, both men are under suspicion for what he sees as a tragic but “honest” mistake. The implication is that he and Dormer can help each other.
This sucks for Dormer, who is already under investigation for improper conduct. Now, he has to decide whether to compromise his values again in order to save his career from the ruin that was probably already coming anyway. What’s worse is that Burr is assigned to investigate Hap’s shooting. She and Dormer had begun to develop a rapport, but over time her adulation wanes as the evidence points her in an ominous direction and she begins to see her idol as a man, rather than a myth. Their relationship begins to complicate as she starts to uncover the truth, and he begins to lose his way between hunting the killer, covering up his own mistake, and trying not to go utterly bat shit insane from going days without sleep.
You’ll notice I’m 600 words into this and haven’t mentioned Robin Williams. It’s because to say too much about his character might spoil the movie, but the prime mover behind the whole story is the relationship between his character and Pacino’s. They have a shared characteristic that draws them together like magnets, if magnets were emotionally shattered people in the midst of complete emotional disintegration. The movie’s visuals are ever so occasionally punctuated by staccato images of blood saturated cloth, and the image serves more than one purpose. It bookends the film, but also implies that the fate of both leads are intertwined not unlike actual strands of fiber. If that sounds clumsy, you can blame my description. Believe me; it works very well on screen.
In light of his recent passing I’m not going to hyperbolize about Williams’ performance. But the character he plays is one whose considerable intelligence is intentionally played close to the vest. And, he’s dealing with the kind of complex life issues that really twist your morals in knots. This is a man who clearly finds himself questioning the difference between rationalization and rational acceptance. Of the seemingly endless array of personalities Williams was capable of mimicking, loneliness and vulnerability were among the most refined. They are also the most necessary here. All in all, it’s more than enough to allow him to hold his own opposite Pacino.
And speaking of Pacino – it really is nice to see him not shouting for once, isn’t it? Dormer is a proud, accomplished man who is nonetheless tormented by self-doubt on many levels. Give him a gun, dip him in a 55 gallon drum of Not Sleeping for a Week, spin him around and let him go. It’s one of the more measured and convincing performances he’s given in years, even today. Hilary Swank simply brings her lunch pail as she always does - and it’s fitting since her character is primarily meant to provide clear moral contrast to the leads. Burr’s somewhat shallow arc from wide-eyed hero worshipper to jaded veteran is not the focus of the film, but it proves to be vital at the story’s conclusion. Swank’s credibility as an actress helps give it resonance.
Insomnia isn’t just a fine film; it’s an overlooked highlight in the careers of both Christopher Nolan and Al Pacino. As for Robin Williams, I wouldn’t say his performance stands out so much as it settles nicely into the tapestry of the story. His understated portrayal is one of a man in the grip of mortal terror, unable to live with certain things as he is unwilling to die for them. Is this man creepy and dangerous, or is he just emotionally isolated and scared out of his mind? It’s hard to tell, and in my mind that’s a credit to the actor. Of all the movies you can or may watch in an effort to celebrate an outstanding life and career, my advice is not to overlook Insomnia if you want the whole picture.