Insomnia

Pros: Everything. Seriously. I loved every minute of it.
Cons: Not a chance.

When they told me, long ago now, that Hollywood was remaking the brilliant, Norwegian film ‘Insomnia’, and it was going to be really good, I said, ‘Pull the other one, it’s got bells on.’ Though they tried to sway me by...

Pros: Precise script, clean-cut direction, hypnotic performance by Stellan Skarsgard
Cons: Nothing, none, nada

Like the eye of God, sunlight burns a probing eye into police detective Jonas Engstrom’s hotel room in northern Norway, the Land of the Midnight Sun (our motto: “We never turn out the lights”). No matter what Engstrom does—pulls the blinds, tapes...

Pros: A mesmerizing performance from Stellan Skarsgard and great direction from Erik Skjoldbaerg make this film one worth seeing
Cons: it's a bit overly ambiguous in parts

Insomnia: Norsk Film
Rating: USA: Unrated

It isn’t often that I can say viewing a film left me feeling fatigued and exhausted and have it be a compliment, but that’s exactly how I mean it when discussing...

Pros: Stellan Skarsgaard, Stellan Skarsgaard, Stellan Skarsgaard, jittery camera work
Cons: Ambiguity and subtitles

I won’t be able to discuss this movie without bringing up Chris Nolan’s American version, so if that ...

Pros: Skarsgård, Skjoldbjærg's controlled direction, simpler and more internalized than it's offspring
Cons: Really just a one man show, I've seen it before (not fair, but still…)

It's common practice amongst serious cinephiles to downgrade the Hollywood remake of a classic/foreign film they've already seen and loved (this rule applies to, deservedly or not, "Moulin Rouge!", "Traffic", "Twelve...

Pros: Strong script, interesting ambiguities, great performance by Skarsgard
Cons: No earth-shaking thematic material

Erik Skjoldbjærg’s Insomnia (1998) is quite a remarkable achievement. Despite being its director’s first film, it received high marks from critics as well as selection for the Critics’ Week at the Cannes Film Festival. ...

Pros: Stellan Skarsgard and the character he plays.
Cons: not as powerful as I thought it would be.

Sometimes sleep doesn’t come easy for people. Perhaps it’s just because it’s the summer, and it’s too hot, or just because they are feeling sick... but most likely there could be a more emotional or psychological reason. More likely, they’ll blame it ...

Pros: Tense direction, disturbing cinematography
Cons: Unlikeable protagonist, disappointing climax

Crimes of passion are an everyday occurrence in our world. The headlines are filled with lurid stories of people committing murder, manslaughter, and various offenses. Naturally, we like to assume we have nothing in common with such people. It's ...

Pros: Stellan Skarsgard's icy portrayal of Engstrom.
Cons: The script could have provided more of the suspense.

Insomnia is the visual negative of a film noir. Everything is bright, sometimes painfully so.

Set in a Norwegian town north of the Arctic Circle in summertime, the whole film takes place during daylight -- not because things...

Pros: Good cop
Cons: Bad cop

Here's an idea: make your traditional noir, complete with morally ambivalent antihero, murder mystery and seductive female flesh, but instead of setting it in dark offices and stormy nights, take it to the Land of the Midnight Sun.

In some...

Pros: a true glimpse at a modern Noir..
Cons: so well done that Hollywood felt the unnecessary need to remake..

I wrote this more than a year ago with the intent of putting it up on my now-dead site..It's a response to negative reviews written on other sites by people expecting extreme levels of suspense, action, carnage, etc, instead of a drama about a lonely man...

Pros: Visually transfixing. Refreshing change from Hollywood tripe.
Cons: Characters lack depth. Story loses momentum.

Liles and Merrill At the VCR: “Insomnia”
Directed by Erik Skjoldbjaerg, starring Stellan Skarsgard

Liles:

The land of the midnight sun, aka Northern Scandinavia, provides the backdrop for “Insomnia”, the story of a Swedish...

Pros: wonderful
Cons: foreign - subtitles

Great Film Noir in the reverse. The director uses LIGHT, not darkness to increase the tension and drama. Shot under the Midnight Sun, actor Stellan Skarsgard said it wasn't dark once during the entire shoot, and quite disconcerting for the cast and crew....