INSOMNIA (2002)

“A good cop can’t sleep because a piece of puzzle is missing and a bad cop can’t sleep because his conscience won’t let him,” said a cop once. What he doesn’t know is that someday the same quote becomes applicable to his own self-jurisdiction amid unwanted circumstances.

The intriguing part of this Christopher Nolan film is its setting of chilly Alaska where sun never sets for 24 hours. Amid rough unpredictable weather with snow-clad foggy atmosphere a cop is investigating homicide mystery. He’s struggling with insomnia and alien weather. Along with investigating case he’s also dealing with the guilt of mistake which makes it the most challenging case of his entire career. He’s facing himself in trouble and his reputation is at the stake because what he’s dealing with is a smart murderer who knows how to play game in his favor. It’s tough role to play for cop and who else is better than legendary Al Pacino to do justice.

It’s rare to witness a fine thriller where we know the criminal half the way through the film and still it keeps us guessing about what’s next. Along with Pacino, here we have another master actor Robin Williams too and most of the film belongs to these two great actors pitted against each other. Hilary Swank doesn’t have many scenes except exciting climax but she delivers what’s expected from her.

A fine chilling thriller.

Ratings- 8/10