Invited to
Alaska to head a murder case, veteran LAPD detective Will Dormer
finds his investigation interrupted by an ever-shining midnight
sun that wreaks sleep-depriving havoc on him - and by personal
guilt over a second crime that may be real or a figment of his
increasingly unstable consciousness.
INSOMNIA
is a well acted and well directed film. The film
focuses on the methods to catch a killer rather than the murder
itself. This film truly represents a personality study and a
thinking film. INSOMNIA has enough suspense and thrills
to hold your attention. INSOMNIA delivers a very clever
thriller with good old fashion suspense.
INSOMNIA
appears in an aspect ratio of 2.35:1 on this single-sided,
dual-layered DVD; the image has been enhanced for 16X9
televisions. Picture quality was pure. Sharpness was excellent.
The image came across detailed at all times. I saw no signs of
softness and jagged edges created no concerns, and I really
didn’t detect any signs of edge enhancement.
I did notice a
bit of light grain at times, but not enough to merit any major
concerns. Colors were natural and vivid; I thought the film
imitated the tones well. Black levels came across deep and rich,
while shadow detail looked fitting but not overly thick. In the
end, INSOMNIA offered a very clear-cut presentation.
The
Audio
INSOMNIA
is presented in a Dolby Digital 5.1 mix. The track worked well
for this type of film. Of course one would expect the forward
spectrum to dominate and it did. Dialogue was natural and the
films music track came across in a dynamic fashion. Effects
supported the general ambience of the film, while blending
surround settings neatly. There isn’t much surround effects for
this type of film, so the presentation remained pretty simple.
As a
whole, the sound mix for INSOMNIA worked
very well for this type of film.
The
Extras
- Additional Scene.
- Commentary by Director Chris Nolan (in chronological order of
the shooting of the film).
- Commentary by Hilary Swank, Production Designer Nathan
Crowley, Editor Dody Dorn, Cinematographer Wally Pfister and
Screenwriter Hillary Seitz.
- "Day For Night": The Making-Of Insomnia.
- 180: A Conversation with Nolan and Al Pacino .
- In the Fog:
Cinematography and Production Design.
- Eyes Wide Open:
The Insomniac's World Stills Gallery.
- Theatrical Trailers.
- Enhanced Features for your DVD-ROM PC.
Overall
I thought
INSOMNIA was a brilliant film. INSOMNIA provides
plenty attention-grabbing and bizarre vagueness. The DVD offers
excellent picture with great sound and a nice roster of extras.
INSOMNIA comes highly recommended.
