DVDs in Review

Insomnia

Title: Insomnia (1997)

Release date: August 3 2009

Certificate: 15

Format: DVD

DVD RRP: £15.99

Rating: 4/5

'Insomnia' is an intriguing detective thriller in that we investigate the lead detective as much as we do the actual murder case. It's also against type for a film noir, being that there are no shots of nighttime.

Jonas Engstrom (Stellan Skarsgard) is sent to a quiet town in Norway to take over a local murder investigation, alongside his partner. It's hinted that they are big city cops sent down here to take flak off a Jonas' indiscretions that are making headlines back home. Jonas isn't sure if he trusts his partner.

Meanwhile a young girl has been murdered, the body cleaned and all evidence washed away. The detectives plan an ambush to ensnare the killer in the countryside. It all goes to plan as the suspect arrives just as a massive screen of fog engulfs the landscape.

Panic ensues and a cop is shot. Jonas gives chase and fires but shoots and kills his partner. There and then he makes the decision to pin the murder on the suspect they're chasing and not admit it himself. The only trouble is, the real killer has seen him kill his partner and now he's blackmailing him.

With this bizarre twist, both men from opposite sides of the law find themselves helping their enemy while trying to get on with their lives. This proves hard for Jonas as he's suffering from insomnia and quite possibly losing his mind. He keeps seeing his dead partner and these visions aren't helped by the fact that it never actually gets dark in this town at this time of year.

'Insomnia' is a truly psychological thriller and an extremely fascinating one at that, driven by Skarsgard's relentless performance. To think that he's the same man who is singing and dancing with Julie Walters in 'Mamma Mia!' only solidifies the range of his acting ability. 

Erik Skjoldbjærg's direction of 'Insomnia' is taut, compact and almost claustrophobic, squeezing as much suspense into an hour and a half as is possible. It was successfully remade by Christopher Nolan ('Memento', 'The Dark Knight') with Al Pacino in the role of the sleep ravaged cop and Robin Williams delivering a haunting performance as the killer.

Being somewhat similar, both versions come very highly recommended. This re-release of the DVD from Arrow Films should give serious film lovers a chance to catch this forgotten treasure.