Al Pacino: Will Dormer	Robin Williams: Walter Finch
Hilary Swank: Ellie Burr	Martin Donovan: Hap Eckhart
Maura Tierney: Rachel Clement	Paul Dooley: Chief Charles Nyback
Jonathan Jackson: Randy Stetz	Directed by Christopher Nolan

Dismiss the notion that writer/director Christopher Nolan is a one hit wonder. His Oscar-nominated, timeline bender "Memento" has only nipped the tip of this filmmaker's talent, proven by his remarkable remake of the 1997 Norwegian thriller "Insomnia," starring Al Pacino, Robin Williams and Hilary Swank. This tightly wound character study not only provides a showcase for three Academy Award winners but also delivers a sobering morality tale as well.

With his department under scrutiny by Internal Affairs, Los Angeles homicide detective Will Dormer (Pacino) is sent to Alaska with his partner, Hap Eckhart, to help an old buddy solve the murder of a 17 year-old girl. Aided by the local cops, including an admiring rookie (played by Hilary Swank), Dormer struggles in the "land of the midnight sun," with its unrelenting daylight that causes him sleepless nights. (Indeed, some of this movie's dark, comic moments involve Pacino furiously trying to block the daylight that seeps through the cracks in his shade.)

accidentally shoots his partner, a conscience-stricken man who-just hours earlier-had informed Dormer of his intent to "deal" and reveal all to their department's investigators. Unexpectedly, Dormer pins his partner's death on the murderer and "Insomnia" transforms itself into more than a cat-and-mouse murder mystery¾it becomes a saga of soul-searching.

Was it really an accident? Or was there a fleeting moment when Dormer realized his professional jeopardy could conveniently disappear if his partner were dead? Does Dormer even know the truth behind his actions?

All of this stickiness is made even gooier by the entrance of mystery writer Walter Finch-the fleeing murderer who caught a glimpse of the whole shooting and calls Dormer on his deceit. Played with superb understatement by the usually manic Robin Williams, Finch is both an adroit observer of human behavior, and a pathetic madman. He feeds on Dormer's growing confusion, past guilt and numbing exhaustion by continually playing up their similarities, by trying to create some filial bond between them, by explaining away both killings ("We didn't mean for them to die.") as accidental.

The unbridled enthusiasm and admiration of local rookie cop Ellie Burr (Swank) throws a wrench in the works when she digs a bit too deep and begins to suspect foul play in Hap's death. The subtle character, which cues her portrayal, is fleshed out in this minor player, creating a moral compass Dormer is ultimately forced to face.

The multi-layering of these characterizations creates a depth and complexity not often portrayed in film; much less a Memorial Day weekend opening, usually reserved for the likes of some explosion-riddled blockbuster. Virtually every player in "Insomnia" hints at a story to tell. This is one fascinating film.

And its allure does not really lie in any suspenseful buildup. Truly, we know the killer from the get-go. Like the relationship between the brilliant but crazy John Malkovich and Secret Service agent Clint Eastwood presented in "In the Line of Fire," the intrigue in "Insomnia" is rooted in the muddled mayhem between Dormer and Finch-the flashes of uncertainty as to who the bad guy really is. Their unnerving conversations are the film's high points. Intelligent, edgy dialogue makes each spoken word a motherlode of nuance. Credit newcomer screenwriter Hilary Seitz, who based her work on the original script by Erik Skjoldbjaerg, who also directed the 1997 original.

A cop who has seen it all, Dormer scoffs at Finch's attempts to be understood as a unique individual. "You are my job," he wearily tells Finch. "You are about as mysterious to me as a toilet is to a plumber."

Al Pacino, undoubtedly one of the art's most accomplished actors, turns in another bravura performance here, looking more ravaged by age and lack of sleep with the passing of each endless day. As fatigue clouds his judgment, his gait becomes unsteady, his vision uncertain and his speech halting-we are mesmerized by his descent. A densely written character, Will Dormer possesses every bit the meat of a Richard III (one of Pacino's Broadway favs) and the anguish of Michael Corleone. Pacino respects his character's complexities-never resorting to his trademark yelling-and gives an Oscar-worthy rendition of a man on the brink.

Al Pacino: The Insider, Any Given Sunday	Robin Williams: Death to Smoochy, Patch Adams
Hilary Swank: Boys Don't Cry	Maura Tierney: TV's "ER"
Martin Donovan: The Opposite of Sex	Paul Dooley: Runaway Bride
Director Christopher Nolan: Memento	Jonathan Jackson: Deep End of the Ocean