Insomnia (2002)
12-month trend
12-month trend
Monthly article views
2025-09 to 2026-08
A detective's investigation into a murder in the perpetual daylight of Alaska leads to a desperate game of cat and mouse with a mysterious killer.
The story
In the remote town of Nightmute, Alaska, two Los Angeles homicide detectives, Will Dormer and Hap Eckhart, are sent to investigate the murder of a teenager. They are assisted by a local detective, Ellie Burr. The investigation takes a dangerous turn when a shooting occurs during a pursuit in heavy fog, resulting in the death of one of the detectives. Dormer is left to navigate the fallout of the incident while dealing with the physical and mental strain of the Alaskan environment. As he investigates the crime, he finds himself in a tense, high-stakes negotiation with the man responsible for the murder, who is attempting to evade justice.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
After the murder of teenager Kay Connell in Nightmute, Alaska, detectives Will Dormer and Hap Eckhart are assigned to the case. During a pursuit in a heavy fog, Dormer shoots and kills Eckhart. To protect himself from an Internal Affairs investigation, Dormer hides the truth of the accident. He is later contacted by the killer, Walter Finch, who was Kay's secret admirer. The two men engage in a series of tense negotiations and clandestine meetings to manage the evidence and avoid prosecution. As Dormer's condition worsens due to insomnia and the constant daylight, he realizes Finch is trying to manipulate him. The tension culminates in a final confrontation at Finch's lake house. In a violent struggle, both Dormer and the local detective, Ellie Burr, face off against Finch. The confrontation ends in a bloody standoff where both Dormer and Finch are mortally wounded and killed, while Burr survives to witness the aftermath.
- First release year
- 2002
- Runtime (minutes)
- 118
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Christopher Nolan
- Writers
- Hillary Seitz · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Al Pacino · Will Dormer; Robin Williams · Walter Finch; Hilary Swank · Ellie Burr; Maura Tierney; Martin Donovan; Nicky Katt; Paul Dooley
- Genres
- neo-noir; psychological thriller
- Themes
- guilt; accountability
- Tone and mood
- psychological; tense
- Premise and plot tags
- police investigation; murder mystery; psychological thriller
- Source material / true-story basis
- 1997 Norwegian film
- Reception
- The film received positive reviews, particularly praising the performances of Al Pacino and Robin Williams.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 92% · scale: percentage · review count: 203; Metacritic · score: 78 · scale: 100 · review count: 37
- Awards and nominations
- Best Supporting Actor · Saturn Awards · Nomination; Best Writing · Saturn Awards · Nomination
- Production trivia
- Robin Williams played a villain, deviating from his typical comedic roles.; The film was originally intended to be directed by Jonathan Demme.; Nicolas Cage was offered a role in the film but declined.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
Your lists
Loading your lists…