Insomnia (2002)
Directed by Christopher Nolan

When I first heard that the Norwegian film Insomnia was being remade, I sort of cringed, expecting the typical Hollywood malarkey of Point of No Return, The Birdcage, etc. I love the original Insomnia to pieces and did not want to see it trammeled. Surprisingly, the Hollywood version is almost as good.

Christopher Nolan applies the unique vision he brought to Memento to this detective tale set in Alaska. (Wait, holy shit, that sentence was very nearly a real pull-quote. I better start in with some fart jokes or something. Eh, forget it, I'm too fuckin' lazy.) Al Pacino is excellent as the veteran cop with questionable motives; Hilary Swank is great as a junior detective; Robin Williams keeps it in his pants and almost comes upon subtlety. The photography has nothing on the 1998 Insomnia, but it's still striking.

What makes this Insomnia more than just an unnecessary remake is Nolan's direction. The editing is suspenseful and the pacing is perfect. Pacino carries the film, truly, degenerating physically and intellectually without any kind of "look at me" theatrics like you'd get with James Woods. Speaking of James Woods, there is a video store nearby that has a James Woods section!

Review by Julie Lulia