Alaska's movie is...

Insomnia

Sure, America’s 49th state has played host to plenty of rugged outdoor adventures that showcase its gorgeous, stark terrain and Gold Rush history (see White Fang and Never Cry Wolf, which would have made our list had they not also been partially set or filmed in Canada). But Christopher Nolan’s 2002 film Insomnia cleverly utilized another unique Alaskan feature to tell a taut tale of crime and punishment, set in the small fishing village of Nightmute: the disorienting phenomenon of Alaska’s midnight sun. Adapted from the 1997 Swedish tale of the same name, Nolan’s take scored an impressive 92 percent on the Tomatometer, thanks much in part to a riveting central performance by Al Pacino as a corrupt LAPD officer (investigating the murder of a teenager while hiding his own sordid secrets) increasingly thrown off his game by the perennial sunlight of the Alaskan summer. Score one for the locals, who, like Hilary Swank’s clear-eyed Alaskan deputy, are better-adjusted to the wondrous anomalies of The Last Frontier.