Dormer has a weariness that Pacino wears perfectly, always finding some new depth to his exhaustion and despair without ever being a sleepy presence on screen.

Insomnia is not so much about the murder mystery as it is about Will's internal struggle with what's right and what's possibly okay.

The film represents a triumph of atmosphere over a none-too-mysterious mystery. Which is to say that Nolan makes you feel the end-of-the-earth bleakness of his setting, makes you feel the way it can discombobulate people once they internalize it.

Changing the story from pure corruption to confrontation of culpability is a good idea. But trying to make this version more "exciting" introduces incredibly dumb turns and devices that keep it from working.