LA detectives Dormer and Eckhart head up to Alaska to help solve a grisly murder case, but while in pursuit of their suspect Dormer mistakenly shoots his partner dead.

This is Christopher Nolan’s first Hollywood film, following his independent pictures Memento and Following.  It seems tempting to infer from the comparatively subdued and conventional nature of this film that Nolan has been overwhelmed by his debut in the world of big budget, big star Hollywood.  This, however, would be a mistake.  The restraint and subtlety shown in this film is a sign that Nolan is emerging as a master craftsman in his field, not that his creativity has been stifled by the studio system.

Everything about this film is under-played.  Nolan’s naturalistic shooting style never distracts us from focussing on the story itself.  Unlike the heavily designed shooting style of Sunshine and Apocalypto there are very few stylised set-up shots in this film, and Nolan’s frequent use of intense close-ups and texturing inserts draws us into the film world without ever calling attention to itself.  David Julyan’s score, too, is understated but works perfectly without any fanfare.

There are compelling performances all round here, but Williams’ against-type turn as everyman killer Walter Finch is the biggest surprise.  Resisting the temptation to play the character up as a Hannibal Lecter stereotype Williams instead opts for a subtle approach, playing Finch as an ordinary man who just happens to be a killer, and in so doing creates a far more menacing character.

Pacino, of course, is also on top form and captures Dormer’s character arc perfectly as he transitions from the master detective to a sleep deprived, guilt ridden shell of his former self.  On the first viewing I was somewhat sceptical of the on-screen chemistry between the two leading men.  However, having now watched the picture twice I am convinced that this was merely a reaction to seeing these two together for the first time.  A Williams-Pacino leading duo isn’t something that would immediately have struck me as the best idea, but once you get over the initial strangeness the pairing works well.

There are plenty of memorable scenes here, but I particularly want to mention the chilling telephone conversation between Dormer and Finch in which our killer attempts a therapy-like rationalisation of his crime.  The frequency of cutting between Finch and flashback shots of the murder increases with the crescendo of Williams’ excitement as he describes his crime.  The contrast between Finch’s clinically cold justification and the visceral brutality of the inter-cut murder shots works to establish the Finch character brilliantly.  The combination of superb acting and inspired directing and editing in this scene produces a truly chilling effect.

There’s really nothing to complain about here at all.  While the film is not cinematically ambitious, everything in this movie is perfectly formed and the care that Nolan has taken over every scene is evident.  It may not be as inventive as Memento, but Insomnia succeeds quite nicely on its own terms and I look forward to seeing where Nolan goes after he finishes up his run on the Batman films.