With The Dark Knight trilogy, Inception and most recently Oppenheimer, Christopher Nolan has asserted himself as one of the greatest Hollywood directors of our time. However, he made one of his best films over 20 years ago. To this day, he still considers the gripping thriller to be the most underrated title of his career. We’re talking about insomnia – sleepless.
Insomnia: Thriller with Al Pacino is one of the most personal films for Christopher Nolan
As can be read in the book The Nolan Variations by Tom Shone, Christopher Nolan is incredibly proud of the thriller starring Al Pacino and Robin Williams:
I am very proud of the film. I believe, Of all my films, it is the most underrated. […] Honestly, it’s one of my most personal films in terms of what it was like making it. It was a very busy time in my life. It was my first studio film, I shot on location, it was the first time I worked with huge movie stars. […]
To this day, Nolan still often receives recognition for the film from other directors:
I can’t judge it myself, but every now and then I meet a filmmaker this is actually the movie they are interested in or want to talk about. Yes, I am very proud of the film.
Watch the trailer for Insomnia here:
Insomnia – Trailer (English)
Al Pacino as a sleepless cop in Alaska: This is Insomnia by Christopher Nolan
In Insomnia, Al Pacino takes on the role of experienced cop Dormer, who, together with his partner, investigates a murder in a small town in Alaska where the sun never sets. As they track down the perpetrator (Robin Williams), Dormer accidentally shoots his colleague in the fog.
In order to cover up the incident, he tries to blame it on the murderer. When a clever young police officer (Hilary Swank) begins to investigate the case, the situation for Dormer becomes increasingly tense. After all, it’s not just the merciless Alaskan midnight sun that keeps the cop awake, but also his conscience.
Unfortunately, the thriller cannot currently be found in any streaming flats. However, you can rent or buy the film from various VoD providers such as Apple TV, Amazon and Magenta TV.