Insomnia/Just Cause

Synopsis: INSOMNIA: In Christopher Nolan's INSOMNIA (based on Erik Skjoldbjærg's 1997 Norwegian film starring Stellan Skarsgård), the murder of a teenage girl in a remote Alaskan town called Nightmute has... INSOMNIA: In Christopher Nolan's INSOMNIA (based on Erik Skjoldbjærg's 1997 Norwegian film starring Stellan Skarsgård), the murder of a teenage girl in a remote Alaskan town called Nightmute has shocked the tight-knit community. The Los Angeles Police Department sends two of its cops--both under investigation by Internal Affairs--to try to solve the crime. The experienced, weathered Will Dormer (Al Pacino) has nothing in his life except the force. His younger partner, Hap (Martin Donovan), has a family to support and is willing to turn state's evidence to protect them. Local cop Ellie Burr is excited to work with her hero, Dormer--until she starts uncovering some questionable situations. It isn't long before Dormer finds the murderer--writer Walter Finch, played with subtle nuances by Robin Williams--but Finch knows a secret that could bring Dormer down. Director Nolan, who stunned audiences with 2001's inventive MEMENTO, here crafts an atmospheric psychological thriller that is bathed in whites and grays. The acting is uniformly excellent, especially Pacino's performance as a cop on the edge and Williams as a soft-spoken, low-rent crime novelist. Because it never gets dark in Alaska at this time of year, Dormer (a play on the Spanish word "dormir," which means "to sleep"), with light always streaming into his hotel room, is unable to fall asleep; watching him slowly unravel is a treat. JUST CAUSE: A Harvard law professor takes up the case of a southern black man who is on death row for murdering a white woman, a crime he may not have committed. Discovering the truth proves difficult, as a Bible-spouting inmate and the brutal police officer who convicted the condemned man lead the professor down blind alleys and into treacherous waters. [More]

Starring: Paul Dooley, Al Pacino, Robin Williams, Sean Connery

Starring: Paul Dooley, Al Pacino, Robin Williams, Sean Connery

Director: Christopher Nolan, Arne Glimcher

Director: Christopher Nolan, Arne Glimcher

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