Why is Insomnia considered Nolan's weakest film when...

This 2002 remake of a Norwegian film follows a Los Angeles homicide detective dispatched to Alaska to investigate the murder of a local teen.
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Slask wrote:it's the weakest because it's a remake (even if better than the original) and it's not written by him. So it's a good noir, with great performances (Nolan worked brilliantly with Pacino and especially Williams) and directing (and the cinematography, gosh, Pfister at its best..), but not a masterpiece as his other flicks :D
Well I don't agree with that argument as I think John Carpenter's The Thing is better than the original and the same for David Croneberg's The Fly.
It's also in my view not his weakest as The Dark Knight dragged in lots of parts, esspecially at the end when we didn't need to see what was going on in the boat and Following is too short and thats the only real negative of that film for a small budget film.

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I actually just watched Insomnia for the first time about two weeks ago, and in my opinion it is clearly Nolan's weakest film by far. Basically my main problem lies in the acting of Al Pacino (this may seem harsh but this is in comparison to other actors Nolan has elicited remarkable performances out of). Unfortunately, he doesn't embody the character; he has the same facial expressions and body movement in each movie. He seems stiff and there remains an air of conceit in his performance. Additionally, since the script wasn't written by Nolan (or at least not completely), it lacks the challenging aspect that I love about his other films. Any of the philosophical musings of the film seem more contrived and less profound in comparison. Judged on its own merit, Insomnia is a solid film, worthy of watching and critical acclaim. However, when juxtaposed with Nolan's fantastic repertoire, the film is lacking that quintessential Nolan-ness.

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stickfish wrote:I actually just watched Insomnia for the first time about two weeks ago, and in my opinion it is clearly Nolan's weakest film by far. Basically my main problem lies in the acting of Al Pacino (this may seem harsh but this is in comparison to other actors Nolan has elicited remarkable performances out of). Unfortunately, he doesn't embody the character; he has the same facial expressions and body movement in each movie. He seems stiff and there remains an air of conceit in his performance. Additionally, since the script wasn't written by Nolan (or at least not completely), it lacks the challenging aspect that I love about his other films. Any of the philosophical musings of the film seem more contrived and less profound in comparison. Judged on its own merit, Insomnia is a solid film, worthy of watching and critical acclaim. However, when juxtaposed with Nolan's fantastic repertoire, the film is lacking that quintessential Nolan-ness.
Pacino gave a good performance, not as good as he did on the godfather or heat but its good( and you can´t compare a role of an italian mafia boss, and a role of an detective with insomnia)

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lionsaulter wrote:
stickfish wrote:I actually just watched Insomnia for the first time about two weeks ago, and in my opinion it is clearly Nolan's weakest film by far. Basically my main problem lies in the acting of Al Pacino (this may seem harsh but this is in comparison to other actors Nolan has elicited remarkable performances out of). Unfortunately, he doesn't embody the character; he has the same facial expressions and body movement in each movie. He seems stiff and there remains an air of conceit in his performance. Additionally, since the script wasn't written by Nolan (or at least not completely), it lacks the challenging aspect that I love about his other films. Any of the philosophical musings of the film seem more contrived and less profound in comparison. Judged on its own merit, Insomnia is a solid film, worthy of watching and critical acclaim. However, when juxtaposed with Nolan's fantastic repertoire, the film is lacking that quintessential Nolan-ness.
Pacino gave a good performance, not as good as he did on the godfather or heat but its good( and you can´t compare a role of an italian mafia boss, and a role of an detective with insomnia)
I think he performed very well. The good thing is, he actually did look tired and worn out (even though he can jump over moving water logs, hop over fences and chase around a maniac all on his own). Williams was my favorite, though.

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Finally got the Bluray w/ the 10th Aniv. of Memento Bluray and forgot how good this film is...

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I really wasn't impressed with this film when I first saw it in cinemas but after thinking about it I got the bluray recently and I have to say it is a pretty grand film. It does not have that heavy hitting Nolanesque ending that we have become so used to but it really is a film that excels on a different plane acting wise. It's almost got the best acting across the board in any Nolan film.

Pacino is immense and just the dialogue in the ferry scene between him and Robin Williams is worth the price of admission.

When it came out I gave it a 6. But having taken the time to appreciate it on other terms it's an 8.

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Unclemao wrote:I really wasn't impressed with this film when I first saw it in cinemas but after thinking about it I got the bluray recently and I have to say it is a pretty grand film. It does not have that heavy hitting Nolanesque ending that we have become so used to but it really is a film that excels on a different plane acting wise. It's almost got the best acting across the board in any Nolan film.

Pacino is immense and just the dialogue in the ferry scene between him and Robin Williams is worth the price of admission.

When it came out I gave it a 6. But having taken the time to appreciate it on other terms it's an 8.
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Dream Thief wrote:"Don't lose your way. Let me sleep... Just let me sleep." (Closes eyes)

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