After his success in "Memento", director Christopher Nolan takes a new genre and, with Al Pacino and Robin Williams, presents us a sophisticated thriller based on the old Norwegian film.
Will Dormer (Al Pacino), a famous L.A. detective whose reputation is being questioned by Internal Affairs, is sent to a lost town in Alaska, where he has to solve a spine-chilling crime. He arrives to Alaska with his partner, Hap (Martin Donovan), who is about to tell him on in order to save his career. .
As he chases Walter Finch (Robin Williams), the murderer, Will accidentally shoots Hap, killing him instantly. What makes the movie very interesting is the fact that the only person who witnessed that shoot is the murderer himself. Based on this, Mr. Finch blackmails the L.A. detective, who will do whatever is in his hands to save his reputation.
While all these things happen, Ellie Burr (Hilary Swank), a local junior detective, realizes that Hap wasn't shot by Walter Finch as thought. Contrary, she comes to the conclusion that Dormer himself was the one who pulled the trigger and killed his partner. All these conflicts, which are fully developed during the movie, show us many moral dilemmas, putting us in the position of the characters, and instating us to ask ourselves: "What happens if a policeman turns in a partner? Is he being a good officer, or just a betrayer?".
"Insomnia" is an excellent movie, full of special effects, and a very good script, reason why I totally recommend it to my fellow students. .