Insomnia (1997) 5 out of 10 stars ⭐ People, you do know you can like something, and still analyze it?

People, you do know you can like something, and still analyze it? 

INSOMNIA (1997) 5 out of 10 stars ⭐

 Original vs Remake... Don't rate reviews unless you READ them! 

*WARNING: ANIMAL ABUSE/DEATH AS A PLOT DEVICE (see below)

BASIC PLOT: 

Jonas Engström, a Swedish detective, is called to Norway to investigate a teenage girl's murder. He arrives during the constant daylight cycle, and no matter what he tries, he cannot sleep. This leads to increasingly bad decision making, and deadly mistakes. He's walking around in a state of perpetual twilight, half awake, half asleep. In this ethereal world, he ends up getting entangled with the killer, he's supposed to be catching.

WHAT WORKS: 

*STELLAN SKARSGÅRD CAPTIVATES THE VIEWER, and keeps you watching. His hypnotic portrayal of Jonas Engström makes this film watchable. The character is not likable, but Skarsgård is, and so you root for him, even though you don't want to.

*THE FILMMAKING HERE IS GENIUS. The visuals, the sounds, the impalpable milieu created is stunning. The viewer is transported into this intangible, shadow world with Jonas Engström (Stellan Skarsgård), and nothing feels real. It's a bad dream you both hope you're going to wake up from soon. The fade at the end, to just Skarsgård's eyes, is a prime example of the haunting beauty of this film.

WHAT DOESN'T WORK: 

*NONE OF THE ANCILLARY CHARACTERS COME TO LIFE, as they do in the Insomnia (2002). Ellie Burr (Hilary Swank) is a much more dynamic character than Hilde Hagen (Gisken Armand). This is not the fault of the actress, she was not given as vital a role as Hilary Swank had in the Insomnia (2002).

*JON HOLT VS. WALTER FINCH Jon Holt (Bjørn Floberg) vs. Walter Finch (Robin Williams) There's really no comparison, Robin Williams takes this one all the way. It's not just that he's a more dynamic actor than Bjørn Floberg, (which he is) it's that the character of Finch is so much more intriguing. You almost sympathize with Finch, a man who murdered a teenager, but you have no such sympathy for Jon Holt. He's just a scoundrel.

*JONAS ENGSTRÖM VS. WILL DORMER Jonas Engström (Stellan Skarsgård) vs Will Dormer (Al Pacino) is a hard choice. The battle of the two detectives will have to end in a draw. Will Dormer (Al Pacino) is a more likable, sympathetic character. He engenders real concern in the viewer, fear he would be caught or killed. There are no such feelings for Jonas Engström (Stellan Skarsgård). Skarsgård is an impressive presence on screen, and you watch, but not because you commiserate with the character. For God's sake, he killed a homeless dog, hates kittens and stuck his hand up a teenager's skirt, there's not a lot to empathize with. Engström does not generate sympathy from the viewer, the way Dormer does, but they are both arresting characters.

TO RECOMMEND, OR NOT TO RECOMMEND, THAT IS THE QUESTION: 

*I would recommend this film for the visuals alone. It's a stunning mélange of disquieting thoughts and images. It's not as easy to watch as the Insomnia (2002), not as enjoyable either, but maybe it's not supposed to be.

CLOSING NOTES: 

*I don't believe in trigger warnings, I think WOKE is a virus. BUT, I also don't agree with supporting movies that use animal abuse/murder as a plot point, to show a character is evil/crazy/etc. It's lazy writing, and in most cases should be quashed. This movie does use a dog's murder as a plot device, be warned.

*I HAVE NO CONNECTION TO THE FILM, or production in ANY way. I am just an honest viewer, who wishes for more straight forward reviews. Hope I helped you out.