Insomnia

Is a bad choice worth several nights of insomnia? Domer (Al Pacino) must make this decision because not only his job in jeopardy, but also his reputation and freedom. Domer is a well known detective in Los Angles for solving some of the most disturbing murder cases. Recently, a 17 year old girl was beaten to death in a small remote town in Alaska. Being such a small town where crimes like this don't happen, the Nightmute Police Department call upon Domer for his prestigious crime solving techniques and experience. While on the trail of the suspected killer, something goes deadly wrong and now Domer must choose between telling the truth or hiding his secret. He chooses to cover up his secret which starts to cause his insomnia. The only person who can help him now is a local author (Robin Williams) who may know more about the murder than anyone could imagine.

The Alaska setting is the perfect atmosphere for the human mind to easily go mad. Endless days where the sun shines for months on end, gives a chilling feeling of isolation and abandonment. Pacino really did seem to be going crazy with his performance and Williams made me think twice about the inside workings of a killer. Hilary Swank supports the cast as a local cop who studied under the workings of Pacino, and now is debating of the morals of her mentor.

Insomnia is a psychological thriller, but I doubt that it would give its viewers any sleepless nights. The movie moves really slow, and I even caught myself starting to fall asleep a few times. The movie isn't boring, but most of the action doesn't seem to happen until the last twenty minutes of the movie. I don't recommend paying eight dollars to see this movie in a theater. The best thing to do is to wait until it comes on video/DVD or cable. Williams and Pacino give some great acting in this movie; it's just a shame that a movie like this couldn't enhance the abilities of such Academy Award winners.

Review written by dxjason 5-27-2002

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