Christopher Nolan's MEMENTO is so fresh and original that when G-Max and I went to Nolan's latest film, INSOMNIA, I was certain it would be fresh and original too, but surprisingly, it's just the opposite -- completely conventional and familiar. The premise itself is stale: a brilliant psychotic killer toys with the cop who's trying to catch him. The treatment is equally stale -- the plot plods forward with oodles of clichés and no surprises whatsoever.

On the plus side, the acting is excellent, especially Robin Williams as the psycho, but also Al Pacino as the grizzled veteran cop and Hillary Swank as the inexperienced apprentice cop. And I grooved on the cinematography: the North woods are given a gray, misty, ominous ambiance. Nevertheless, these virtues aren't enough to save INSOMNIA from its complete lack of originality.

My rating on the Watson Scale: 2

Insomnia
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