Product Details

• Actors: Al Pacino, Robin Williams, Hilary Swank, Oliver 'Ole' Zemen, Martin Donovan
• Directors: Christopher Nolan
• Writers: Erik Skjoldbjærg, Hillary Seitz, Nikolaj Frobenius
• Producers: Andrew A. Kosove, Ben Cosgrove, Broderick Johnson, Charles J.D. Schlissel
• Format: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, Widescreen, NTSC
• Language: French (Dolby Digital 5.1), English (Dolby Digital 5.1)
• Subtitles: English, Spanish, French
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rating: R (Restricted)
• Studio: Warner Home Video
• DVD Release Date: October 15, 2002
• Run Time: 118 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (280 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00006IUL7
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #10,406 in Movies & TV (See Bestsellers in Movies & TV)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #44 in	Movies & TV > Mystery & Suspense > Neo-Noir
  #56 in	Movies & TV > Mystery & Suspense > Crime > Cops

• For more information about "Insomnia (Widescreen Edition)" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com essential video

As a more conventional follow-up to his innovative thriller Memento, Christopher Nolan's Insomnia offers ample proof that his skills are genuine. A superbly crafted remake of the 1997 Norwegian thriller, this moody police procedural is transplanted to a remote Alaskan town, where a veteran Los Angeles detective (Al Pacino) arrives to investigate the murder of a teenaged girl. Professional tragedy collides with psychological turmoil as the detective suffers from sleeplessness under the region's perpetual daylight, and a local rookie cop (Hilary Swank) begins to suspect that truths are being hidden as the disturbing case unfolds. While the Alaskan setting intensifies the atmospheric mystery, Pacino's bleary-eyed disorientation adds a rich layer to his character's erratic behavior, and the casting of Robin Williams as the killer was a risk that pays off nicely. In many respects better than the original, Insomnia is a Hollywood remake that's refreshingly free of compromise. --Jeff Shannon

Product Description

Crime never sleeps. Neither does Will Dormer (AL PACINO), a veteran LAPD homicide detective sent north to Alaska to head a murder case. There his investigation is disrupted by an ever-shining Midnight Sun that wreaks sleep-depriving havoc on his body clock and brings Dormer's shady, guilt-plagued past into the light of day.

DVD Features:
Audio Commentary
Biographies
Documentaries
Featurette
Filmographies
Interviews
Photo gallery
Theatrical Trailer

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

116 of 137 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A worthy follow up to Memento, May 4, 2002

By	Joseph Andrew Bono (Buffalo, NY United States) - See all my reviews

Insomnia, director Chris Nolan's second full length feature, doesn't have the same gut-wrenching and mind-bending plot twists that his feature length debut, Memento, had, but does an excellent job telling an original and gripping detective mystery.

The pleasure of Insomnia is to be found in its rich cinematography, beautiful landscapes, and excellent performances. The movie is one of the most visually compelling pieces of filmmaking I have seen in years, creating surreal juxtapositions with the vast, harsh Alaskan landscape and with close-up shots of crime scene evidence. The amazing visual landscapes (both large and small) are used effectively by director Nolan to emphasize the films themes of isolation and overpowerment, of losing oneself within ones environment and in ones choices.

Insomnia's plot will disappoint those looking for a new Memento, in that it does not have the sort of turns of action and motivation that Memento does. Insomnia works well without elaborate plot twists, however, it's mood benefits from a certain lack of ambiguity of action, although the ending is perhaps a little to predictable and cliched. Insomnia would have benefited, however, from more ambiguity of motivation - while the acting is top notch, especially on the part of Robin Williams, the connections between the characters actions and their motivations and decisions is too closely drawn by the script.

Overall Insomnia is an excellent movie, and a good entry into the detective/suspense movie cannon. It suffers slightly from a couple of bad edits (in a movie filled with amazing editing and shooting) and from its desire to clearly spell out the principle characters motivations, but these minor flaws are more than redeemed by the director's excellent camerawork and sense of pacing, a strong script, and very solid acting performances. Insomnia is a must see movie, and a welcome change from the "blockbuster" summer movie scene of 2002.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A stylish, harrowing suspense thriller, June 9, 2002

By	Michael J. Mazza (Pittsburgh, PA USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)

In "Insomnia," directed by Christopher Nolan, Al Pacino plays Will Dormer, a Los Angeles police detective. While a controversy swirls around him and his partner, Dormer travels to a small town in Alaska to help with a murder investigation. This assignment leads him into a tension-filled cat-and-mouse game with creepy mystery writer Walter Finch (played by Robin Williams). As an added twist, the story takes place during the Alaskan summer, when there is endless daylight; amidst this inescapable light, Dormer suffers from the malady of the film's title.

"Insomnia" is a gripping, stylishly made film. The gritty action sequences have a low-tech realism that is a welcome change from the typically overdone Hollywood action thing. The performances are outstanding. Williams gets a lot of mileage out of his effectively low-key interpretation of Finch. Veteran character actor Paul Dooley brings warmth and subtle authority to his role as a small town cop, and Hilary Swank is a superb foil for Pacino in her role as an eager young cop. Pacino is excellent as the film's flawed protagonist. His performance is truly harrowing.

"Insomnia" succeeds as a suspense drama. The motif of endless daylight is well used throughout the film, and is weighted with potential symbolic meaning. More than just a good thriller, "Insomnia" also raises some relevant moral and ethical issues.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "Insomnia"...The darker side of Robin Williams!!, October 22, 2002

By	Nicholas Williams "movie, music, and book fan" (Memphis, TN United States) - See all my reviews

We have seen Academy Award winner Robin Williams (Best Supporting Actor, 1997: "Good Will Hunting") in lots of hilarious films such as "Mrs. Doubtfire", "Good Morning, Vietnam", "Bicentennial Man", and "Death to Smoochy". We have also seen him in a memorable few dramatic roles such as "Dead Poets Society", "Good Will Hunting", "What Dreams May Come", and "Jakob the Liar". But now, Williams really outdoes himself when he takes on the role of...ruthless killer! The movie is called "Insomnia", a film with so much intensity and suspense that you would have to see it again and again! The direction of Christopher Nolan ("Memento") is brilliant in every way possible! Williams is also paired up with fellow Academy Award winners Hilary Swank (Best Actress, 1999: "Boys Don't Cry") and the legendary Al Pacino (Best Actor, 1992: "Scent of a Woman") into bringing this thriller of Hitchcockian proportions to the big screen! "Insomnia" focuses on a seasoned veteran LAPD detective named Will Dormer (Pacino), who is invited to Nightmute, Alaska with his partner, Hap Eckhart (Martin Donovan), to head a murder case. Dormer teams up with an inexperienced, young detective named Ellie Burr (Swank) in order to find out who caused the murder and why. But during the case, Dormer finds himself and his investigation disrupted by an ever-shining midnight sun that wreaks sleep-depriving havoc on him. In other words, Dormer has inside of him what we call a "body clock". It could go off at any moment, on any day, and at any time as well. The case has also disrupted Dormer by personal guilt over a second crime that may be real...or a figment of his increasingly unstable conciousness. During the movie, the prime suspect in the murder case is a best-selling author named Walter Finch (Williams). And to me, it seems as though Dormer may have met his match when Finch starts playing these sadistic mind games with Dormer which will eventually lead to a shocking finale between the two foes! I have the DVD version of "Insomnia", loaded with extras such as an additional scene, scene-specific commentaries with Hilary Swank and crew, featurettes, theatrical trailer, stills gallery, and DVD-ROM features. In conclusion, I just have to say that "Insomnia" is truly one of the sharpest thrillers that I've seen since Nolan's "Memento" or any other thriller. With three of the greatest acting talents today, a fine supporting cast (Maura Tierney, Nicky Katt, Paul Dooley), and an incredible storyline that will keep you guessing until the very end, "Insomnia" is a must-see for everyone and a DVD must-own if you are an avid Robin Williams fan or an avid Al Pacino fan!