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Plot, Details & Awards

Insomnia

(2002)

Rated R for language, some violence and brief nudity.

R In Theaters 05/24/2002 , 118min.
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Plot & Details

Director Christopher Nolan follows up his breakthrough sophomore film Memento with this remake of a stylish Norwegian thriller. Al Pacino stars as Detective Will Dormer, a Los Angeles Police Department legend who temporarily escapes an internal affairs investigation that may ruin his career by traveling to Nightmute, AK, the remote site of a murder that has the local authorities flummoxed. Along with his partner, Hap Eckhart (Martin Donovan), and the small town's wide-eyed rookie investigator, Ellie Burr (Hilary Swank), the exhausted Dormer probes the brutal slaying of a teenage girl who was rumored to have a secret lover. A clever ruse quickly lures the killer into a police trap, but the suspect escapes and a tragic accident at the scene leaves Dormer at the mercy of the murderer, a pulp crime novelist named Walter Finch (Robin Williams). As Finch plays a dangerous game of extortion with Dormer, the detective's mental health deteriorates rapidly from guilt over his complicity in a crime and sleep deprivation compounded by the lack of darkness in the land of the midnight sun. Meanwhile, the bright and dogged Ellie continues putting the pieces of a complex puzzle together despite Dormer's skillful attempts to lead the investigation toward the right suspect, but away from his own malfeasance. Insomnia co-stars Paul Dooley, Nicky Katt, Maura Tierney, and Jonathan Jackson.
  • MPAA Rating: R
  • Genre(s): Action,Horror
  • Run Time: 118min.
  • Theatrical Release Date: 05/24/2002
  • DVD Release Date: 10/15/2002
  • Distributor(s): Warner Bros.
  • Director(s): Christopher Nolan
  • Starring: Al Pacino , Robin Williams , Hilary Swank , Maura Tierney , Martin Donovan
  • Themes: Police Corruption,Mind Games,Blackmail,Murder Investigations
  • Tone: Deliberate,Menacing,Tense,Understated,Wintry
  • Keywords: cover-up,insomnia,internal-affairs,mistake,murder-suspect,partner,police-corruption,police-detective,writer
  • Country of Origin: USA (05-24-2002)
  • Language: English
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