Insomnia | Rotten Tomatoes (2024)

92% Tomatometer 205 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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Critics Consensus

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

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Insomnia | Rotten Tomatoes (1) Adam Kempenaar Filmspotting 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. Rated: 3.5/5 Apr 24, 2020 Full Review Insomnia | Rotten Tomatoes (2) Jami Bernard New York Daily News 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. Rated: 3/4 Aug 25, 2014 Full Review Insomnia | Rotten Tomatoes (3) Richard Schickel TIME Magazine 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. Aug 5, 2013 Full Review Insomnia | Rotten Tomatoes (4) David Nusair Reel Film Reviews ...a methodically-paced yet increasingly absorbing drama... Rated: 3.5/4 Apr 29, 2024 Full Review Insomnia | Rotten Tomatoes (5) Akhil Arora AkhilArora.com The only remake Nolan has ever done and the only time he’s never written his own script—Insomnia was his first step in a studio system—this feels the least like a Nolan film, at least what we would come to expect of it based on what came after and before. Oct 17, 2023 Full Review Insomnia | Rotten Tomatoes (6) Cory Woodroof For the Win (USA Today) An electric police procedural drenched in the terror of sleeplessness, Nolan’s remake of the 1990s Norwegian thriller is perhaps his most underrated film as it shows him coming into his own with his command of mood and atmosphere. Jul 20, 2023 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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mr c Nolan's most underated gem. Rated 5/5 Stars • Rated 5 out of 5 stars 10/24/24 Full Review Faiz D One of Nolan's and Al Pacino's best films. A really good crime thriller. Rated 4/5 Stars • Rated 4 out of 5 stars 08/29/24 Full Review Pantera O "Hard to keep focus". "Don't lose your way". Un policía mata accidentalmente a su compañero en la persecución de un criminal, y en un intento de ocultar la verdad todo se complica. Intrigante. Psicológica. Inmersa. Empieza narrando con una vista aérea y grandes paisajes. Mantiene una intensa fotografía, con buenos espacios junto un detallado diseño de sonido. Aisla al personaje enfocando los diferentes objetos y detalles de la realidad, intensificandolos, destacando la culpa que siente. Cuando el personaje de al pacino se pone a hablar con un sospechoso, por un momento hay una tensión donde ya no estan hablando solo de la película, si no de sus carreras en el cine.El desarrollo de una mentira y sus consecuencias, que se vuelve mas grande entre mas la encubren, y como persigue a la persona. El desarrollo de un asesinato. Una de las peliculas mas debiles del director, pero igualmente digna de su talento, manteniendo el constante interés sobre el conflicto, y llevándote por un camino de engaños donde hay que luchar por la verdad. Estoy satisfecho. "Why can you tell anybody you shot him, i mean, it was an accident right?"The truth is beyondTécnica: 8.0Expresión: 7.2Efecto: 6.5Experiencia: 6.9Calificación: 7.1/10 Rated 3.5/5 Stars • Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 07/13/24 Full Review Simon M Didn't follow through on the primary moral question of the movie, felt like a cop-out ending Rated 2.5/5 Stars • Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 05/22/24 Full Review r96 s A relatively normal Christopher Nolan movie? Well I never!'Insomnia' might not be as deeply entwined as what the director usually produces, yet in entertainment terms it is still right up there. I really enjoyed this one, thanks in large part to the performances of Al Pacino and Robin Williams - great to see those two icons onscreen together! You also have some nice visuals, Alaska looks real neat! Rated 3.5/5 Stars • Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 05/16/24 Full Review Dan R In 2002 visionary director Christopher Nolan brought his 'Insomnia' remake to cinemas.SYNOPSIS: 'Two Los Angeles homicide detectives are dispatched to a northern town where the sun doesn't set to investigate the methodical murder of a local teen.'Along with 'One Hour Photo' this film is up there with Robin Williams' best works. It's a shame we didn't see more performances like this during his life.'Insomnia' is an excellent crime thriller which is incredibly smart and riveting, and absolutely drags you into the story whether you like it or not.Al Pacino gives one of the best performances, with his role of a man struggling with sleeplessness being so infectious it weighs down the entire atmosphere of the film with a kind of relentless fatigue. What's madness? What's insomnia? These questions are all asked here.'Insomnia' is a pretty flawless movie, and continued Nolan's career into becoming a Hollywood A lister. It's a dark and haunting thriller that gets right under your skin and asks a number of moral questions of the characters and ourselves.An exceptional movie which needs more eyes on it.8/10 Rated 4/5 Stars • Rated 4 out of 5 stars 05/13/24 Full Review Read all reviews

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Cast & Crew

Christopher Nolan Director Al Pacino Will Dormer Robin Williams Walter Finch Hilary Swank Ellie Burr Maura Tierney Rachel Martin Donovan Hap Eckhart
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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)
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Insomnia | Rotten Tomatoes (2024)

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