History Film / Insomnia

** This is because the film was made before he started to employ any of those conventions, except for non-linear narrative and mind screw. However Dormer's [[spoiler: planting of evidence]] is told in something of a call-back to Nolan's preferred narrative style.

[[SimilarlyNamedWorks Not to be confused with]] the StephenKing novel ''Literature/{{Insomnia}},'' or the gaming/philosophy website, or the Legend of Zelda fanfic "Fanfic/{{Insomnia}}".

* BluffingTheMurderer - Detective Dormer pulls this off almost immediately after arriving in Nightmute which consequently tips off the killer that he's not just dealing with "backwoods locals" any more.
* BraidsBeadsAndBuckskins - A mechanic and police constable, both Native American, have long braided hair.

* DealWithTheDevil - The killer, having witnessed Dormer [[spoiler: accidentally shooting his partner]], offers to remain silent on the matter if Dormer agrees to help clear him of the girl's murder.
* ForeignRemake : Of the eponymous 1997 Norwegian thriller.
* [[spoiler: FramingTheGuiltyParty: Dormer's sin, which he is concerned IA will discover. Also, Finch's rationale for framing the dead girl's boyfriend.]]
* HeAlsoDid: For once ChristopherNolan directs a story that [[InMediasRes starts at the beginning,]] [[AnachronicOrder plays out in chronological order,]] [[MindScrew features only a minor]] [[MindScrew plot point]], [[MichaelCaine and has no Michael Caine.]] Still got the "psychologically disturbed guy haunted by his past" protagonist though.
** This is because the film was made before he started to employ any of those conventions, except for non-linear narrative and mind screw. However Dormer's [[spoiler: planting of evidence]] is told in something of a call-back to Nolan's preffered narrative style.
*** This is arguably justified in that the film was basically work-for-hire for Nolan. He had most of his people work with him on the film, but he did not write it (although arguably ALL directors write the films they direct to an extent), whereas he wrote all of his other films.
* TheInsomniac - Played in realistic fashion by Will Dormer, as well as the killer who sympathizes with the detective in a series of taunting phone calls.

* MeaningfulName - Played ironically. Dormer's name is a cognate for the word "to sleep" in several Romance languages.
* NaiveNewcomer - Ellie Burr is a rookie cop and wide-eyed idealist, who thinks of Dormer as an infallible hero and role-model. As the film progresses, she begins to learn that things are not always as clear-cut as she first thought.
* FilleFatale - Katharine Isabelle's character
* PlayingAgainstType - RobinWilliams at his most evil, with no FreudianExcuse whatsoever.
* StargateCity - Though the story is set in Alaska, much of the movie was filmed in Vancouver and smaller towns in British Columbia.
* SmurfettePrinciple: Somewhat averted. While Ellie is the only main female character, the owner of the inn and Ellie's best friend have strong supporting roles.
* TheyLookJustLikeEveryoneElse - Walter Finch, as played by Robin Williams.
* UnfriendlyFire - Implied between [[spoiler: Dormer and his partner]], as questions arise as to whether it was truly an accident.
* VillainProtagonist - In the original Norwegian film, the protagonist was far more of a dirty cop, who gets progressively worse as the film goes on. In the remake, Pacino's Dormer is more of a good cop whose past mistakes are coming back to haunt him in his sleep-deprived state.

Insomnia is a PsychologicalThriller film directed by ChristopherNolan (''{{Memento}}'', ''TheDarkKnight'') and starring AlPacino (''{{Scarface}}''), RobinWilliams (''OneHourPhoto''), and HilarySwank (''MillionDollarBaby''). The American film, released by WarnerBrothers in 2002, is a remake of a 1997 Norwegian film of the same name. The remake was a financial success both in the U.S. and abroad, and it received high praise from critics.

'White Night', also known as the 'The Midnight Sun', is a phenomenon in which the sun is still visible beyond midnight in settlements near the Arctic Circle... in some cases not setting for months at a time. It is during this season when the savagely beaten body of a local 17-year-old girl is found in Nightmute, a quiet Alaskan town whose only claim to fame is the title of "Halibut Fishing Capitol of the World." The vicious nature of the killing and the meticulous manner in which the body was cleaned has confounded the local police, who quickly realize that they are out of their depth.

Will Dormer (Pacino), a legendary detective from the Robbery and Homicide division in Los Angeles, is flown to Nightmute to assist the locals in tracking down the girl's killer. With his partner in tow, and with the assistance of a local rookie named Ellie Burr (Swank), Will uses his wealth of experience with violent crimes to find leads that could bring the case to a swift end. However, all is not right with Detective Dormer: an Internal Affairs investigation back home has put his division under pressure, and the threat of his partner cutting a deal with I.A. could put his entire career in jeopardy.

The stress of this, combined with an extreme case of insomnia brought on by the White Nights, quickly begins to overwhelm the L.A. detective. As he goes several days without sleep the lines between fantasy and reality start to blur, and Dormer begins to question the sins of his past and the bleak prospect of his future. Little does he know that the man he's been hunting is watching him closely, and one tragic mistake is all the killer will need to exploit the detective's weakness.

[[SimilarlyNamedWorks Not to be confused with]] the StephenKing novel ''Literature/{{Insomnia}},'' or the gaming/philosophy website, or the Legend of Zelda fanfic Fanfic/{{Insomnia}}.

* HeAlsoDid: For once ChristopherNolan directs a story that [[InMediasRes starts at the beginning,]] [[AnachronicOrder plays out in chronological order,]] [[MindScrew features only a minor]] OrIsIt [[MindScrew plot point]], [[MichaelCaine and has no Michael Caine.]] Still got the "psychologically disturbed guy haunted by his past" protagonist though.

[[SimilarlyNamedWorks Not to be confused with]] the StephenKing novel ''Literature/{{Insomnia}},'' or the gaming/philosophy website, or the fanfic Fanfic/{{Insomnia}}.

[[SimilarlyNamedWorks Not to be confused with]] the StephenKing novel ''Literature/{{Insomnia}},'' or the gaming/philosophy website, or the "Fanfic/{{Insomnia}}."

[[SimilarlyNamedWorks Not to be confused with]] the StephenKing novel ''Literature/{{Insomnia}},'' or the gaming/philosophy website, or the [[http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/FanFic/Insomnia fanfic.]]

[[SimilarlyNamedWorks Not to be confused with]] the StephenKing novel ''Literature/{{Insomnia}},'' or the gaming/philosophy website, or the

[[SimilarlyNamedWorks Not to be confused with]] the StephenKing novel ''Literature/{{Insomnia}},'' or the gaming/philosophy website.

!!This series contains examples of:

* ForeignRemake

* SmurfettePrinciple: Somewhat averted; while Ellie is the only main female character, the owner of the inn and Ellie's best friend have strong supporting roles.

* HeAlsoDid: For once ChristopherNolan directs a story that [[InMediasRes starts at the beginning,]] [[AnachronicOrder plays out in chronological order,]] [[MindScrew features only a minor]] OrIsIt [[MindScrew plot point]], [[UnfortunateImplications and where almost all of the female cast survives at the end.]] [[MichaelCaine And no Michael Caine.]] Still got the "psychologically disturbed guy haunted by his past" protagonist though.

* HeAlsoDid: For once ChristopherNolan directs a story that [[InMediaRes starts at the beginning,]] [[AnachronicOrder plays out in chronological order,]] [[MindScrew features only a minor]] OrIsIt [[MindScrew plot point]], [[UnfortunateImplications and where almost all of the female cast survives at the end.]] [[MichaelCaine And no Michael Caine.]] Still got the "psychologically disturbed guy haunted by his past" protagonist though.

* {{Wallbanger}} - Why didn't Detective Dormer request heavier curtains for his hotel room? Apparently, it's a standard extra in Alaskan hotels.

* UnfriendlyFire - Between [[spoiler: Dormer and his partner]].

* UnfriendlyFire - Implied between [[spoiler: Dormer and his partner]].

* CompleteMonster: Walter Finch.

* [[spoiler: UnfriendlyFire]] - Implied, but ultimately probably averted.

[[SimilarlyNamedWorks Not to be confused with]] the StephenKing novel ''Literature/{{Insomnia}}'' or the gaming/philosophy website.

[[SimilarlyNamedWorks Not to be confused with]] the StephenKing novel or the gaming/philosophy website.

* BraidsBeadsAndBuckskins - A mechanic and police constable, both Native American, have long braided hair.

* NoRestForTheWicked - Played in realistic fashion by Will Dormer, as well as the killer who sympathizes with the detective in a series of taunting phone calls.

Insomnia is a PsychologicalThriller film directed by ChristopherNolan (''{{Memento}}'', ''TheDarkKnight'') and starring AlPacino (''{{Scarface}}''), RobinWilliams (''OneHourPhoto''), and HillarySwank (''MillionDollarBaby''). The American film, released by WarnerBrothers in 2002, is a remake of a 1997 Norwegian film of the same name. The remake was a financial success both in the U.S. and abroad, and it received high praise from critics.