Quick Reviews: Insomnia (1997)

Before I get to Christopher Nolan's 2002 Version of Insomnia (Update from the Future- it only take 8 1/2 years!), let's check out the 1997 Version from Norway...

Stellan Skarsgard Stars as a Detective sent to Norway to investigate a Murder.

Let's get to this irony: Stellan has a recurring Role in Marvel Films, while Nolan would make Billions for DC as a Batman Director.

After narrowing down the search to a key suspect, the Cops move in.  Unfortunately, a shot in the misty fog leaves one Cop dead...at Skarsgard's hands.

He covers up the incident- blaming it on the killer- and focuses on solving the case.  That will help him with his guilt, right?

He gets involved in a bit of romance while in Town working the case.  No problems there...

With his obvious lack of sleep and the guilt he is living with, can our hero catch the real killer?

...or will his guilt and insomnia overtake him?  To find out, watch the Film.

Not the most fun watch, but quite good.  This Film tells a dark, layered tale.  The Characters are serious and don't play around.  The Tone is serious and has no laughs in it.  All in all, it is a serious and dark Crime Thriller.  All of that is just to tell you what to expect- not to judge.  The Characters are quite interesting and feel pretty developed.  Skarsgard really commits here, making me wonder if Pacino (who tends to overplay Roles these days) can/did match up.  The Villain is not that special, but plays his part just fine.  The Story is neat as the Villain and the Hero don't always do what they should and also aren't black or white.  The Villain's motivations don't make him to be super-evil, while the Hero's actions covering up his shame make him not super-good either.  There is still a difference between them when it all comes down to it though, so this isn't so bleak as to ruin things.  It is interesting to see a Story like this that only features on real Murder being investigate and doesn't feel the need to escalate things with more.  After all this time, this one still holds up real well.  No matter what Nolan did to make his own Version stand out, he can't match these eyes...

A solid Character Piece that only suffers from being so bleak.  It is Norwegian, so...no shock.