Insomnia Has A Great Robin Williams Performance And Some Overly Predictable Elements

Compared to other entries in Christopher Nolan's filmography, Insomnia can't help but feel a bit routine in execution. Now, the film overall is actually pretty entertaining, a well-done cat-and-mouse crime thriller with one particularly strong performance I'll talk about later, but compared to the narrative audaciousness of fellow Nolan movies Dunkirk or Memento and even just considered on its own merits, Insomnia feels more paint-by-numbers in concept and execution of said concept. But even paint-by-numbers can be plenty fine when the paint looks pretty and Insomnia most certainly has some super colorful elements that help stand out.


Los Angeles detective Will Dormer (Al Pacino) has been called out to an Alaskan town to help solve the case of the dead body of a 17-year-old girl the local police discovered in a landfill. Dormer taking on the case coincides with an ongoing investigation into his practices that higher-ups think are shady and the investigation will involve his longtime partner and fellow detective Hap Eckhart (Martin Donovan) testifying against Dormer. All of that is weighing heavy on Dormer's mind but he's trying to just concentrate on the case at hand, which has him grilling some locals, such as the victim's physically abusive ex-boyfriend, as to who could possibly be behind this gruesome murder.

A planned trap to lure the killer out into the open so Dormer, Eckhart and some fellow local cops, including longtime fan of Dormer Detective Ellie Burr (Hillary Swank), does indeed lure out the man responsible for this young girl's death, but it backfires in two major ways; the killer gets away and Dormer, in the midst of a foggy chase, accidentally shoots and kills Eckhart. Worried that his accidental murder will make it look like he's trying to erase a key witness in the ongoing investigation, he claims their proposed murderer is the one responsible for Eckhart's demise. Dormer thinks he just might be safe now but a phone call that night proves that to be very much not the case. The person calling? Walter Finch (Robin Williams), local author and the killer they've been hunting. Why's he calling? Because he saw Dormer kill Eckhart and he's gonna use that leverage for all it's worth.

Once Walter Finch comes into the movie, Insomnia really gets taken up a notch as a movie since the character is handily the best thing in the entire motion picture. Finch is a creepy as hell guy, this dude who talks about murder and physical abuse he's committed with this casual "Everything is alright" tone that Robin Williams is excellent at selling. Williams performance brings a meek quality to Finch but also carries this simultaneous air of being calm & collected even in the most horrific circumstances, it's an unsettling combination that Williams uses to create a terrific performance, one of his best dramatic turns in a career full of such high-caliber work.

I wish there was a similar level of ingenuity when it comes to the writing of our lead protagonist Will Dormer, who isn't a bad character in the slightest, but his personality boiling down to that of a cop who seeks justice but may do illicit things to get it carried out does feel boilerplate in certain scenes. Luckily, Al Pacino does bring a sense of unique weariness to his part and the fact that the character is constantly suffering from a lack of sleep (hence the title) isn't taken as an excuse by Pacino to sleepwalk through the role. He's particularly great in his scenes with Williams since it allows us to see Dormer, a man who's always thinking he's got the upper hand in any and all situations, in a more vulnerable position that allows Pacino to really thrive as an actor.

The choice of setting this tale in Alaska allows cinematographer Wally Pfister to use the massive landscapes of this locale for some memorable establishing shots while a solid sense of shot composition and blocking is found throughout the rest of Insomnia. The movie sure does look pretty but once it was over, I just couldn't help but wish it took a few more risks on a story level since all those lovely shots are in service of some more predictable plot points. Don't let that occasional lack of boldness deter the good qualities Insomnia does have, particularly in an amazing performance from Robin Williams that may be worth the price of admission alone. It's overly conventional, sure, but Insomnia is pretty good crime movie fare with some thrilling scenes and performances that truly stand out.