Back in August, we suffered a tragic
loss in the world of comedy and acting in general. Robin Williams,
one of the greatest actors of our time, had passed away from suicide,
after suffering from years of depression. It's was a hard thing to
deal with, and still is, because the thought of someone like Robin
Williams falling to depression was unthinkable. So as a way to honor
the man, I have seen people talk about a lot of his movies like “Dead
Poets Society,” “Good Will Hunting,” and “Aladdin.” Since we're still in the month of Halloween, I figured it would be
fitting to talk about a film that not too many people talk about. And
it happens to be one of Christopher Nolan's earliest pictures,
“Insomnia.”
The film tells of two police
investigators in Alaska, looking for a homicidal murder. When one of
them is killed, the other has to deal with the internal struggle of
losing his partner, and still catch the man who did this, all while
dealing with the lack of sleep due to Alaska being mostly day.
What people don't know is that this
film is actually a remake of a Norwegian film of the same name,
making it one of the only two films that Nolan has remade (the other
being his Batman films). Not only does Nolan manage to give his own
unique take on the idea, but manages to surpass it by a long shot. As
one of Nolan's earliest films, it ranks among one of the top 10 best
thrillers of the past decade.
The two leads in the film, played by
Al Pacino and Robin Williams, are fantastic to watch. Seeing two of
the most iconic Oscar winning actors work off each other is
hypnotizing to watch, that you couldn't keep your eyes off either of
them. Pacino gives without a doubt one of his best performances,
playing an insomniac cop like you wouldn't believe. I mean, with Al
Pacino, he'll give his damn best no matter what.
Robin Williams on the other
hand...well, have any of you seen the film “One Hour Photo?” It
came out later on that year, but try to imagine that kind of
character from “One Hour Photo”...only 10 times more creepy, and
if he was a serial killer. Williams plays this character really
effectively, especially when he admits to murdering people. I mean,
the guy confesses to it like he just went grocery shopping, it's
really chilling. It's one of Williams' best performances, and one of
his more underrated works.
If you're looking for a real enticing
thriller, definitely check out “Insomnia.” It's not only one of
Williams' best and Pacino's best, it's one of Christopher Nolan's
finest films. The acting is great, the direction is great, the shots
of Alaska are beautiful, and the writing is top-notch.
Rating: 10/10
No comments:
Post a Comment