Insomnia (2002)

Al Pacino spends Insomnia trying to tape the sun out of his hotel room, and the sun wins every round. It’s Christopher Nolan’s most normal movie, no time tricks, no puzzle box, just a detective story you’ll solve before the detectives do. The killer shows up early, and after that it’s cat and mouse with a very tired cat. Pacino plays the exhaustion like a slow leak, his eyes heavier and his temper shorter every sleepless day. Robin Williams is the big surprise as a soft-spoken crime writer who talks to Dormer like a pen pal, and he’s creepier for never raising his voice. Their conversation on a ferry is the high point. Hilary Swank’s local detective is sharp, but her investigation moves exactly as fast as the plot needs. A chase across floating logs in thick fog is a stunner. A 7.3 because the acting is tense and the mystery never really is. $1,641 says you hunt down the one blinking charger light in your bedroom tonight and cover it with tape.

What works: Robin Williams cast against type as a calm, creepy writer, Pacino’s slow-motion exhaustion, and the foggy log chase.

What doesn’t: The mystery is solved early, so the second half is a slow cat-and-mouse with few surprises, and Hilary Swank’s role is mostly plot function.

Who it’s for: Fans of slow-burn detective stories who care more about guilt and nerves than whodunit twists.