Nolan's latest might keep you awake at night

Cristopher Nolan followed up his indie film sensation, "Memento," with "Insomnia," an English-language remake of Erik Skjoldbjærg's widely acclaimed Norwegian thriller of the same title. The film was met with glowing reviews and moderate box-office success, but it didn't seem to garner the universal acceptance that many had anticipated. Those of you who missed "Insomnia" when it hit theaters this past May would be well advised to seek out the recently released DVD. \nAl Pacino gives his best performance in years as Detective Will Dormer (a role originally inhabited by "Good Will Hunting" co-star Stellan Skarsgård). Dormer and his partner, Hap (Hal Hartley regular Martin Donovan), are sent to Alaska to both avoid a scathing internal-affairs investigation back in L.A. and to assist local authorities in solving the murder of a teenage girl.\nWorking alongside Dormer and Hap is a wet-behind-the-ears rookie cop by the name of Ellie Burr (Hilary Swank), who idolizes Dormer yet also questions his ethics throughout the film. Mounting evidence inevitably leads the officers to a creepy author named Walter Finch (Robin Williams). Stress and moral ambiguities eventually take their toll on Dormer, who, in the midst of Alaska's midnight sun, suffers subsequent nights of sleeplessness, which affect both his work and psyche.\nThe "Insomnia" DVD isn't exactly loaded, but most of the extras are pretty worthwhile. Nolan's commentary is especially cool, unlike many other filmmakers; he's chosen to play scenes in the order in which each was shot. Though the film is way out of sequence, this technique is very effective because viewers/listeners are given real insight into the filmmaking process.\nThere are also scene-specific commentaries featuring Swank, production designer Nathan Crowley, editor Dody Dorn, cinematographer Wally Pfister and first-time screenwriter Hillary Seitz. While none of these are bad, they are nowhere near as compelling as Nolan's full-length track.\nFinally, there's "180: A Conversation with Christopher Nolan and Al Pacino," which is cool (especially when Pacino offers vignettes about his work with Lumet and Coppola), but the two occasionally fall into the pattern of blowing pretentious smoke.\n"Insomnia" isn't as revolutionary as "Memento" or even Nolan's debut, "Following," but that's okay -- it's a meticulous film that's far more concerned with emotion and performance. And on that level, it's well worth checking out.