About this episode

The episode discusses Christopher Nolan's transition to studio filmmaking with Insomnia and explores the film's themes and performances.

After becoming a critical and arthouse sensation with Memento, Christopher Nolan leaped to studio filmmaking with American remake Insomnia. The film (based on the 1997 Norwegian film) stars Al Pacino as a corrupt cop sent to Alaska to solve a murder, only to be caught in the web of the killer (Robin Williams). Though a successful summer release, the film did not ultimately receive the enthusiasm of Nolan’s previous effort, but it would nevertheless catapult him towards his Gotham directing duties. This episode, we’re talking about the rise of Nolan and how this film stands as one of his more flawed. We also discuss Williams’ era of unsettling characters and subject matter, Hilary Swank between her Oscar wins, and Pacino’s downshift here from bigger late 1990s performances. Topics also include Memento‘s awards run, old age Makeup nominees, and The Insider.

People in this episode

Hosts: Joe, Chris

Topics covered

• Christopher Nolan's filmmaking
• Al Pacino's performances
• Robin Williams' characters
• Memento's awards run
• Flawed films
• Studio filmmaking

Keywords

• Insomnia
• Christopher Nolan
• Al Pacino
• Robin Williams
• Memento
• Oscar
• film analysis

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: Memento, Insomnia, The Insider, American remake Insomnia

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