匚卂尺ㄥ reviewedFebruary 11, 2025
Did I ever know what insomnia is? Sure it's not being able to sleep, but what does it do to you??
I think I know now, as I can feel myself addressing it right here, I've been up for nearly 17 hours. But at least I can sleep, this guy can go 5 days without a blink.
The film seems to say something about small town mentalities and what it's like living in one. I'm from one and I recognize certain aspects of human behaviours and attitiudes. Al Pacino's character holds it together as best he can - the interesting fact being that he has had to cut corners throughout his career and they are catching up with him more than he will catch up with sleep. He is tormented by this and makes another serious mistake. That scene is in the fog - again, great attention to detail as I was driving in the fog a couple of nights ago (naturally).
He is trying to catch a child killer in the form of Mrs Doubt..No, that's Robin Williams of course, he's taking on a serious role and you do wish he'd taken on more since, cos it shows you another side to him and it's good. Williams torments Pacino throughout and you get the impression that Pacino is fighting the tide of opinion, in a town happy to settle for any result.
Overall this is a good man fading away, tormented by his demons and the past. It is gripping and it really feels like this manhunt is taking place in the wild west, except this is Alaska, a place where it's always light...
This film had a profound effect on me, especially when you consider we've had the Batman trilogy off this director since. It's moody and the eternal appeal for me is that it is the portrayal of a man trying to keep his head above water whilst doing the very important job of catching someone dangerous. It shows you what life is like in moments of personal turmoil and gives you a real insight into what survival means at that point. Moving.