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Insomnia

Insomnia

Thriller · Crime · Drama · 2002

Two Los Angeles homicide detectives are dispatched to a northern town where the sun doesn't set to investigate the methodical murder of a local teen.

Movie details

Insomnia

“A tough cop. A brilliant killer. An unspeakable crime.”

2002 Thriller · Crime · Drama 1h 58m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

7.0 / 10

Community rating

Two Los Angeles homicide detectives are dispatched to a northern town where the sun doesn't set to investigate the methodical murder of a local teen.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over Insomnia?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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Killer's Kiss

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Davey Gordon, a New York City boxer at the end of his career, falls for dancer Gloria Price. However, their budding relationship is interrupted by Gloria's violent boss, Vincent Rapallo, who has eyes for Gloria. The two decide to skip town, but before they can, Vincent and his thugs abduct Gloria, and Davey is forced to search for her among the most squalid corners of the city, with his enemy hiding in the shadows.

The Stranger

The Stranger

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Two strangers strike up a conversation on a long journey. However, neither is who they appear to be, each carry secrets that threaten to ruin them — and in the background, one of the nation's largest police operations is closing in.

The File on Thelma Jordon

The File on Thelma Jordon

Thriller · 1949

Cleve Marshall, an assistant district attorney, falls for Thelma Jordon, a mysterious woman with a troubled past. When Thelma becomes a suspect in her aunt's murder, Cleve tries to clear her name.

Where the Sidewalk Ends

Where the Sidewalk Ends

Crime · 1950

A police detective's violent nature keeps him from being a good cop.

The Woman in the Window

The Woman in the Window

Crime · 1944

A seductive woman gets an innocent professor mixed up in murder.

Sherlock: The Abominable Bride

Sherlock: The Abominable Bride

Crime · 2016

Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson find themselves in 1890s London in this holiday special.

In the Heat of the Night

In the Heat of the Night

Crime · 1967

African-American Philadelphia police detective Virgil Tibbs is arrested on suspicion of murder by Bill Gillespie, the racist police chief of tiny Sparta, Mississippi. After Tibbs proves not only his own innocence but that of another man, he joins forces with Gillespie to track down the real killer. Their investigation takes them through every social level of the town, with Tibbs making enemies as well as unlikely friends as he hunts for the truth.

Evil Under the Sun

Evil Under the Sun

Thriller · 1982

An opulent beach resort provides a scenic background to this amusing whodunit as Poirot attempts to uncover the nefarious evildoer behind the strangling of a notorious stage star.

Shadow of a Doubt

Shadow of a Doubt

Thriller · 1943

In sleepy Santa Rosa, restless young Charlie’s world brightens when her sophisticated Uncle Charlie arrives for a long visit. But as his behavior grows increasingly strange, she begins to suspect that her beloved uncle may be hiding a terrible secret—and that danger has quietly entered her home.

Where it lives

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Christopher Nolan

Written by

Hillary Seitz

Al Pacino

Al Pacino

Will Dormer

Robin Williams

Robin Williams

Walter Finch

Hilary Swank

Hilary Swank

Ellie Burr

Maura Tierney

Maura Tierney

Rachel Clement

Martin Donovan

Martin Donovan

Hap Eckhart

Nicky Katt

Nicky Katt

Fred Duggar

Paul Dooley

Paul Dooley

Chief Nyback

Court is in session

Put Insomnia on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Big-Idea Head

“Form is the argument.”

Every composed frame and deliberate cut is evidence that control can be thrilling in its own right.

The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist

“Technique in search of a pulse.”

Immaculate construction is still construction. The film may be too busy proving its craft to feel alive.