Customer Reviews

Insomnia [Original Motion Picture Soundtrack]

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I got this soundtrack before I even saw the movie. Well, I had to once I realized it was composed by David Julyan; the genius behind the music of "Memento" and "Following." I can say that this is one of my new favorite movie scores.

Very much like "Memento" and "Following," this score is very haunting and quiet. It really gets you thinking like someone who has insomnia. Each track is nothing but pure brilliance. The soundtrack also reminded me of the "Unbreakable" one, except only better. I really like the violins and the piano used on this score. Now after seeing the movie, I listen to this outstanding score and it's like reliving the movie.

David Julyan has a talent when it comes to movie scores. I hope that he scores other movies in this genera in the near future. He could be the next Danny Elfman. (I actually like Julyan's music a little better.)

If you liked the "Memento" score, then chances are that you will enjoy this one just as much, if not more. There are no "band" songs, so you don't have to skip around to just hear the score. This is a haunting and beautiful soundtrack. If you love the movie, get the music. And get this one while you still can; I have a feeling this might be a rare one to get in the very near future.

The score for this excellent crime thriller sounds as if it was composed in the manner of a grand opus, then broken down into many different themes with the same variation. There is a certain repetitious pattern throughout that suggests a moody atmosphere, gloom, the unknown that lays beyonds the mist and the hazy, nebulous theme of the film. Even though the cues remain essentially the same, they are no less intriguing and eerie, given the nature of the movie's plot. This CD is still enjoyable even if heard on its own apart from the film, a perfect symphony of mystery, light and shade.

Director Christopher Nolan presents this psychological thriller of film noir as Al Pacino (Will Dormen-police detective) and Robin Williams (Walter Finch) play mind games, with Pacino in an Oscar winning performance. This has all the earmarkings of the years best thriller with menacing and tense twists. Pacino and Williams will likely keep you on the edge of your seat, as each actor gives their all.

Composer David Julyan who gave us the scores from "Following" (1998) and "Memento" (2000) another Christopher Nolan film of gripping proportions, sends the same message with this score from "Insomnia". Julyan takes the audience to another level with orchestration, arrangements and themes of internal affairs, police corruption, blackmail and suspense with haunting mesmerizing edges.

Take note of the stand outs ~ "FOG", with shades of Bernard Herrmann's understated pulsating arranging of counterpoints, brings back many wonderful memories when you listen to this captivating score ~ "KAY'S FUNERAL", so convincingly Hitchcock's "Vertigo", the theme gets under your skin ~ "WALTER'S LAKE HOUSE", slowly building with strings sounding the alarm, quiet percussion and additional strings come to the forefront, a single kettle drum pounds in the background with syncopation of darkness ~ "CLOSING TITLES", weaves each theme into a thrilling fabric of musical fibre, giving you what all "film-score-buffs" crave, closing to top-notch performances from a gifted composer...gotta love it!

Total Time: 57:06 on 18 Tracks ~ Varese Sarabande 302-066-357-2 ~ (2002)

If you like David Julyan music your like this. A lot of tracks sound the same but that's just the Melody talking but overall I think its this OST is good. Makes you want to watch the movie.

As a score to a crime film with bit of horror, one could easily have envisioned the music being discordant and replete with 'stingers' and little else. Instead this work is brilliantly epic, centered around the powerful theme "The Glacier" heard immediately after the film`s introduction.

I consider this film to be one of Al Pacino`s best, with a matchingly convincing performance by the antagonist Robin Williams. The filmmaker takes his work seriously and is concerned with presenting unto you an emotional epic. The music follows his lead and makes everything make an unmistakable sense.

I was late in picking up a copy of this score - I am so very glad I finally did. One of the best in my collection. For fans of Solaris, The Road Warrior, Batman Begins, Trinity, Konig der letzten Tage, RUNE, Unbreakable, and others of similar ilk. Thumbs up without reserve.

The music that David Julyan conducts for this film is almost superior to that of memento. The music fits the film 100%. The mournful and guilt ridden sounds of the music fit that of Pacino's character. It is a beautifully composed album. The opening title track fits over the bleak cold landscape of the opening sequence, very very well. If you liked the musis of Memento, then you will like this. BUY IT!!!!!

I am not sure how many are aware that Insomnia is actually just a re-make of the 1996 Norwegian film Insomnia by Erik Skjoldbjaerg which won prizes at various international film festivals.
So, why the need for a re-make? True, I love Chris Nolan's work, and Memento is my all-time favourite film, so I hope that when Insomnia comes out that he has done it no injustice.
As for the soundtrack, what made the original film so impressive was the haunting, ambient soundtrack composed by Geir Jenssen, probably the leading ambient artist in the world. David Julyan may compose great soundtracks, but the original soundtrack should definitely have been used again. It set the atmosphere, with Geir Jenssen being from the actual city where the original was film. Now the new film has been relocated to the US (why? Nolan's British, isn't he?), your standard Americanization of any decent European film to make it a hit in the US box office, and the score has been changed. I have listened to the soundtrack (and still not seen the film), but if the film is anything like the original, the soundtrack now has none of the same monumental and chilling character that together with the beautiful imagery from within the Arctic Circle provokesd in me when I saw the original. Instead, the score strikes me as a bit bland and the strings don't really fit in, and it's as if I heard it all before in another soundtrack.

We have a wide range of reviews about this film, from the borderline pretentious that need to remind everyone it's a remake although the film does that itself (not to mention complain about it), to the ADD-inflicted "this was boring" crowd.

Ultimately, the score for this film effectively captured the brooding and occasionally melancholy tone. Personally, this may be one of the very few remakes that I thought was more effective than the original film, albeit they're both masterpieces.

I'm dropping a star for the score's monotony, but it's ultimately very smart, very tragic, and very beautiful. A magnificent film from a director that's really headed toward terrific fame. I can't wait for his Hughes biopic.

I am a fan of David Julyan's score from Memento (the reason why I bought the soundtrack to that movie, which is my favorite movie of all time!) so I automatically asked for this CD! I got it and I loved it! I like movie scores alot (anything from John Williams is a must have) but the scores to Memento and Insomnia are my favorites! I recommend this CD to everyone who saw the movie and enjoyed it! If you're a fan of Julyan's and don't have this CD, GET IT!!!...

As an avid Al Pacino fan, and a fan of what might be called rather dark dramas, Insomnia has been a favorite of mine for some time. I purchased Insomnia since it is not played as often on any of the cable television channels, so I decided to buy a copy.

Pacino is well known for being an insomniac, and he plays that tendancy to the hilt in this movie. He is his character in each scene and maintains the edginess of his character throughout the movie.

I've enjoyed the movie so much, that I've also acquired the sound track.