'Insomnia' a no-doze mystery-thriller

Insomnia -- R
Starring: Al Pacino, Robin Williams
Directed by: Christopher Nolan
Showing: Showplace 12 West Take three Oscar winners, a director fresh from his overnight success with the most creative and exciting movie of last year and a chilling tale about murder in sun-drenched Alaska and you get one film that only narcoleptics could sleep through. In his last movie "Memento," director Christopher Nolan made audiences feel the confusion of his vengeful, amnesic protagonist. With his latest thriller, "Insomnia," Nolan's use of camera visuals, half-a-second flashbacks and the backdrop of an Alaskan town that doesn't see night, we too will feel for insomniac Detective Will Dormer (Al Pacino) as he goes days without sleep plagued by what he knows about the vicious murder he's investigating. Dormer was called in from Los Angeles to help a small fishing community figure out who murdered a local 17-year-old girl. After chasing the number one suspect through a foggy woods, Dormer accidentally shoots his partner. To avoid an investigation and problems with Internal Affairs, he lies and says that he saw the fleeing suspect shoot his friend and co-worker. The only problem is, the suspect saw the actual shooting and wants to become Dormer's partner by covering each other's tracks. It's no mystery that the murderer is played by funny-man Robin Williams. He's amazingly effective in this dramatic role and puts on one of his best performances in years. His calm and collected conversations about murder and deceit send a chill down the spine of anyone willing to listen. That includes Pacino, who does an equally great job as the intelligent and intimidating cop who just can't fall asleep. Rounding out the great cast is Hilary Swank as the rookie cop figuring everything out on her own and Nicky Katt, who plays the local officer heading up the investigation. Both are great in their roles, and Katt will go down in history as having the ugliest mustache to ever be put on screen. Nolan did not top his previous film in entertainment value and creativity, but he does supply us with a really good, original story that will keep you awake and wanting more.