Insomnia (2002) ***1/2
Christopher Nolan's Insomnia (2002) is one of the few remakes that, despite not straying far in plot and events, carves its own path and stands (just about) toe to toe with its predecessor. I'm happy to report that it's held up very well. Erik Skjoldbjærg's 1997 original is a slightly better film but Nolan's has the benefit of two excellent lead performances by Al Pacino and Robin Williams, in some of the best work of their careers (and they've both had illustrious ones). While Skjoldbjærg's is the more nihilistic and cold of the two films, Nolan's has a warmth and humanity that isn't always present in his work (or isn't always handled as well as it is here).
Jonathan Demme was originally attached to direct this film (with Harrison Ford set to star in the Pacino role). This could have been interesting and it's easy to see why he was attracted to the material—Insomnia is very much a spiritual successor to The Silence Of The Lambs (1991) (review) and Nolan's film hits a lot of the same beats, though it's no masterpiece like the latter. But I think Demme would have been repeating himself a bit if he'd ended up at the helm.
After revisiting the 2002 film, which celebrated its 20th anniversary (of its wide release) today, I'm due for a rewatch of the 1997 film (which also celebrated an anniversary, its 25th, earlier this year) soon.
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