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Insomnia

Play trailer 2:23 Poster for Insomnia R 2002 1h 58m Mystery & Thriller Crime Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
92% Tomatometer 206 Reviews 77% Popcornmeter 100,000+ Ratings
From acclaimed director Chris Nolan ("Memento") comes the story of a veteran police detective (Al Pacino) who is sent to a small Alaskan town to investigate the murder of a teenage girl. Forced into a psychological game of cat-and-mouse by the primary suspect (Robin Williams), events escalate and the detective finds his own stability dangerously threatened.
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Insomnia

Insomnia

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Critics Consensus

Driven by Al Pacino and Robin Williams' performances, Insomnia is a smart and riveting psychological drama.

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Critics Reviews

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Adam Kempenaar Filmspotting 04/24/2020
3.5/5
Dormer has a weariness that Pacino wears perfectly, always finding some new depth to his exhaustion and despair without ever being a sleepy presence on screen. Go to Full Review
Jami Bernard New York Daily News 08/25/2014
3/4
Insomnia is not so much about the murder mystery as it is about Will's internal struggle with what's right and what's possibly okay. Go to Full Review
Richard Schickel TIME Magazine 08/05/2013
The film represents a triumph of atmosphere over a none-too-mysterious mystery. Which is to say that Nolan makes you feel the end-of-the-earth bleakness of his setting, makes you feel the way it can discombobulate people once they internalize it. Go to Full Review
Nick Rogers Midwest Film Journal Jul 13
2.5/5
Changing the story from pure corruption to confrontation of culpability is a good idea. But trying to make this version more "exciting" introduces incredibly dumb turns and devices that keep it from working. Go to Full Review
Marcelo Paredes Cinencuentro Jul 11
By telling the story in a much more direct way, the moral dilemmas become far more evident, and the director's concerns emerge with admirable precision... [Full review in Spanish] Go to Full Review
Patrick Cavanaugh The Wolfman Cometh Sep 9
4/5
Furthers Christopher Nolan's skills of pacing and mystery he teased in Memento, elevated by riveting performers. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Will R @RT59412112 21h A solid thriller. Al Pacino and Robin Williams give solid performances and it does enough to keep you interested in the story. It’s not one I go back to much at all though even though it’s shot very well by Christopher Nolan. Just doesn’t do much for me. 6/10 See more Svio D @savvo 3d Insomnia addresses the burden of exhaustion and the impossibility of escaping oneself. It is an impeccable noir thriller in which shadows have been replaced by relentless light, resulting in an extremely tight and efficient project. See more Kevin P @RT55971421 4d A riveting detective thriller with so many great twists and turns that keep you guessing where the story's going to go. It felt very unpredictable and interesting to see the only movie that Christopher Nolan directed, but didn't write. Al Pacino and Hilary Swank are both great as two detective officers investigating a murder in Alaska. Pacino is great as the seasoned gruff detective that's seen it all and is one step ahead of everyone else, and Hilary Swank is very endearing as the youthful optimistic cop. The movie has so many great twists to the detective formula. The most glaring is how the constant daylight in Alaska gives Al Pacino's character the titular insomnia. Robin Williams creepily plays against type with his natural charm and charismatic making his grisly kidnappings and murders all the more unsettling, especially with his unusual blackmail partnership with Pacino. It's a great detective thriller that's tightly written. Easily Christopher Nolan's most underrated movie! See more Andrew A @rt_andrew Jul 18 A little workmanlike and a bit oppressive at times but does offer some tense moments and has great visuals See more Stefan E @StefanE Jul 17 Great Al Pacino crime film, kind of disturbing though in my opinion. Worth watching for sure either way, but don't love it quite as much as some other movies like it, for example Heat. See more Vixo S @vixo_six Jul 11 Insomnia is not a bad film at all, but it is probably the Christopher Nolan film that feels least like his own. The story is solid, the script works and the atmosphere of guilt, exhaustion and constant daylight gives the thriller an effective psychological pressure. Al Pacino carries the film with a tired and uneasy presence, while Robin Williams is quietly unsettling in a role that benefits from his usual warmth being used in a different way. Hilary Swank also gives the story a necessary moral contrast. Still, I never fully connected with it. It feels professional, well acted and carefully directed, but also too anonymous compared with the rest of Nolan’s filmography. I respect it more than I like it. See more Read all reviews
Insomnia

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Movie Info

Synopsis From acclaimed director Chris Nolan ("Memento") comes the story of a veteran police detective (Al Pacino) who is sent to a small Alaskan town to investigate the murder of a teenage girl. Forced into a psychological game of cat-and-mouse by the primary suspect (Robin Williams), events escalate and the detective finds his own stability dangerously threatened.
Director
Christopher Nolan
Producer
Paul Junger Witt, Edward L. McDonnell, Andrew A. Kosove, Broderick Johnson
Screenwriter
Hillary Seitz
Distributor
Warner Bros. Pictures
Production Co
Section Eight Ltd., Witt/Thomas Productions, Alcon Entertainment
Rating
R (Language|Brief Nudity|Some Violence)
Genre
Mystery & Thriller, Crime, Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
May 24, 2002, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Dec 1, 2010
Box Office (Gross USA)
$67.3M
Runtime
1h 58m
Sound Mix
Dolby Stereo, Dolby Digital, Dolby A, Surround, Dolby SR
Aspect Ratio
Scope (2.35:1)