4/5 Murder Where The Sun Never Sets
  by drkhimxz (Freehold, NJ, USA)
I should say that the fact that the sun doesn't set for months becomes a major theme in the film, coupled with the question of just what is the behavior that a good cop will expect of him-or herself. Al Pacino gives a bravura performance as the cop who suffers from insomnia due to the sun and whose actions in the past and present lead him to question his self-conception as a good cop. He is ably abetted by Swank and Williams, with the supporting roles being filled well. There is some action, some talk, some scenery, and no sleep. All in all, an above average effort to portray The Detective and The Criminal. Good watching.

4/5 My review as on Unratedmagazine.com....
  by Nick Schwab (Columbus, Oh)
Insomnia is oftentimes engaging, sharply photographed, and nicely acted despite its genre conventions. It reminds one of the old film-noir movies, and even has a trace of Hitchcock in the subtle way most of the movie proceeds with its psychological-thriller concepts (the sense of quiet creepiness reminds one of Shadow of a Doubt.) Although the simplistic plot concerning a web of lies and murder wrecking psychological sleep deprivation on a homicide detective that is working to find a killer in a Alaskan town may not do much to advance this genre, the film is quite watchable. It is captivating formulism.

In part this is due to the film's leads (Al Pacino and Hilary Swank) that are played impeccably, and the real surprise of the main cast is Robin Williams. Giving a very understated and nuanced performance as the killer, Williams reminds one of the low-key villains that have a sense of soft-spoken eeriness to them and crooked logic that makes their manner oftentimes just as scary as a raving lunatic due to them feeling like your average, kind next door neighbors. The acting also complements the mood of the film, as well.

Directed by Christopher Nolan, the film is shot much different than the dark shadows of those noir pictures. This film invokes its location of the 24-hour sunlight of Alaska with a lot of grays, blues, and well, sunlight. Nolan tells the story with both an atmospheric visual flair, and also shows considerable grasp at tension, even if the audience can guess what will happen. As Nolan may keep things rote, screenwriter Hillary Seitz and he also keep the elements rather grounded with both a sense of drama, apt monologues, and astute dialogue. There is even a quite nail-biting scene that has Pacino pursuing Williams on water logs, only for things to turn rather wet.

If Insomnia falters it is because the plot is only intricate in terms of the central dilemma, and not in terms of its development. Thematically, the elements are rather obvious in the morals that the film examines and at times it is also very Hollywood in regards to its stance on these beliefs. The film is almost too bittersweet in its logic, and since it ends on a moral note this also seems so obvious and predetermined that it comes without surprise or a sense of subversion; this is especially true in the climax.

In the end, Insomnia does nothing to reinvent the wheel, or even add anything to it. Rather, it just spins it well enough that it is both sincere and skilled enough about what it sets out to do. A fine watch, indeed.

8.0 / 10 (In 0.5 Increments.)

5/5 The first of two excellent films by Robin Williams in 2002
  by Daniel Hayes
I know alot of you out there will disagree with me, but 2002 was probably Robin Williams's best year for movies. Mind you I say this without having watched "Death To Smootchy" yet. However, this, and "One Hour Photo" are definitely his finest hours. This is a complex movie, and I have to thank my wife for suggesting we go see this on our 1st anniversary. It's about a murder in Alaska that the locals can't seem to solve, and they bring in a legendary police officer from Los Angeles played equally good by Al Pacino. However, Pacino's character isn't quite ready for the wilds of Alaska...especially during the summer when the sun never sets, and lack of sleep is an understatement. Then there comes the chase in the fog where Pacino accidently shoots his partner....or does he? There's alot more riding on this than the murder mystery itself, and it plays out where Williams and Pacino play the game of cat and mouse. Apparently Williams had done some research into Pacino's past, and he promises to keep quiet if Pacino keeps quiet about Williams little murder. There's a underlying twist here, and Pacino's admirer played by Hillary Swank comes to the same conclusion, and just in time when Pacino decides he doesn't want to keep quiet anymore, and then comes the fight scenes between Williams and Pacino, and brother let me tell you it was one that has stuck in my mind for the last 7 years. In the end however, it was hard to tell if justice was served as both Pacino and Williams characters end up dying by the others hand. I feel that this was one of the overlooked movies of 2002, and so I want to put this here to remind people that Robin Williams can act in suspense/thrillers too. He's funny, but don't judge this, or "One Hour Photo", or for that matter "The Final Cut" before giving it a chance. He did good in all 3 movies.

4/5 Insomnia
  by lagseller (Homewood, Alabama USA)
Again, I love Al Pacino but I have never been all that crazy about Robin Williams however, this is an excellent movie and Williams gives a creepy, kind of sicko appearance that helps make this mystery so good.

5/5 Enter Sandman... ASAP!...
  by Bindy Sue Frønkünschtein (under the rubble)
INSOMNIA is a fantastic thriller, full of twists, turns, and arctic-cold atmosphere. Al Pacino (The Godfather 1 and 2, Scarface, Heat, etc.) is LA homicide detective Will Dormer, sent to Nightmute, Alaska to investigate a murder. Will has a lot of professional / personal baggage that complicates matters, causing him to hide his own secrets while trying to solve the crime. Add to this the fact that he's arrived in northern Alaska during it's season of perpetual daylight, and he's got major sleeping problems as well! Between the murder case, the eternal daylight, and Will's own conscience, he quickly becomes a mess! It's amazing that he can still function at all, let alone, well. Hilary Swank (The Gift, 11:14) is a young officer who assists Dormer, only to find her own loyalties and sense of justice challenged. Robin Williams (One Hour Photo, The Night Listener) plays a seemingly mild-mannered sociopath whose one frantic desire is to cover / save his own a$$! INSOMNIA succeeds at building tension while showing Will Dormer's mental disintegration. A classic crime drama w/ something extra. Loaded w/ memorable scenes like the chase-in-the-fog, chase-across-the-floating-logs, and invisible-oncoming-truck sequences, INSOMNIA holds up well after many repeat viewings. Highly recommended... P.S.- Watch for both Katherine Isabelle and Emily Perkins from the GINGER SNAPS movies, as the victim's best friend and the eulogizer at her funeral respectively...