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Preview by Jack Foley |
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TUCKED away in any blockbuster season is the so-called sleeper hit; the intelligent movie which (for far less money) sneaks up on a couple of the bigger summer contenders and all but blows them away. The appropriately-named Insomnia is a movie which has the potential to do just that.
A re-make of the Swedish thriller of the same name, Insomnia sounds, on the
surface, as nothing that special. Its plot, featuring a detective who loses
his partner and then travels to a small town to investigate the disappearance
of a young girl only to find himself involved in a psychological game of cat-and-mouse
with the primary suspect, is hardly original.
And it is a remake (and how many of those can really be said to have been
worth revisiting?).
Yet delve a little deeper and there is plenty to get excited about. The movie
stars Al Pacino (as the detective), Robin Williams (as the primary suspect,
finally throwing off the shackles of too many saccharine-coated roles), ER's
Maura Tierney (who plays the lovely Abbey) and Oscar-winner Hilary Swank (of
Boys Don't Cry fame).
It is directed by Christopher Nolan, whose previous film was the memorable
Memento, while - and wait for it! - Steven
Soderbergh and George Clooney serve as the movie's producers.
With so many mouth-watering components in place, have we any more reason to
feel excited? The movie opened in the US in May to some terrific reviews (see
below) and should arrive on our shores in September.
WHAT THE US CRITICS HAD TO SAY...
Entertainment
Weekly, often described as one of the two US bibles of entertainment reporting,
described the movie, simply, as 'superb' (awarding it an A-), while Rolling
Stone said it is 'thoughtful, gripping and steeped in action that defines
character'.
The New York Times praises it for being 'intensely sharp-witted', while People
claimed it is 'alarmingly good'. LA Weekly praised Nolan for being a 'terrific
director of actors', while The Hollywood Reporter referred to it as 'a smashing
follow-up from director Christopher Nolan to his much-celebrated debut film,
Memento'.
Film Threat said it is 'a good movie, atmospheric and sometimes creepy' (awarding
it three and a half stars out of five), while The Chicago Tribune described
it as 'smart and well-crafted', while the Boston Phoenix said it 'sheds enough
light on what is hidden, and why, to trouble one's slumber'.
But perhaps the New York Post put it best, describing it as 'a four-course
gourmet alternative to summer popcorn flicks'. The movie has, thankfully,
already been embraced by US audiences.
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