I wanted to go back and revisit some of Christopher Nolan movies that I had seen when they came out, but now with a better perspective on the director he's become. I wanted to start here, with Insomnia. I originally saw this movie when it first came out in 2002 and liked it. I didn't think the movie was great but I still found it highly entertaining. Seeing it now? I still don't think the movie is great but it's much better than just highly entertaining and is much better than the majority of crap Hollywood keeps churning out and other directors keep making. One thing I was amazed about was that, despite being 11 years old, this movie holds up remarkably well over time. It still seemed as if this movie had been made this year, that is always a good sign of a director - that is their movies age extremely well and don't ever feel real dated. I will explain this more later on.
I noticed a lot of traits from this movie that Nolan hasn't compromised over time and has helped to shape him into the director he's become today. One is his ability to cast people in the right roles and to get the maximum effort and energy out of them for that role. With just using Insomnia as an example the casting for this movie is pitch perfect as Nolan is one of the few directors to get toned down and subtle performances from Al Pacino and Robin Williams. This is one of the few movies I've seen where Pacino isn't shouting but seems more resolved to actually give a performance based around quietness, that herald's back to his acting of the 70's, which is something I've missed from Pacino's career for a long time. Even Williams gives one of his best performances in a long time that is no way over the top or loud, but is one of measured tone and so unlike his Good Will Hunting performance, which still managed to be one of his best performances but had traces of Robin Williams the comedian in it. Not so with Insomnia, as Williams does some of his best acting and the couple of scenes with him and Pacino together sparkle and crackle with some serious energy. Then to top off everything, the young acting talent that is Hillary Swank walks in and continues to dazzle as one of the best female actresses to come around in a long time. She basically takes a secondary role in the movie but runs away with it as she pours herself into it and makes the part come alive. There are so many bit parts in this movie that are perfectly cast from Pacino's partner, who at first I thought didn't fit too well but then when he dies I realized how much I missed him, to the chief of police of the small Alaska town, to dead girl's best friend, and the hotel manger. All are perfectly cast, which is a trait of Nolan that has made him one of the best in Hollywood.
Now there are a couple of things Nolan does well that I think helps to give his movies a timeless quality to them, which then in return makes them not feel outdated. One is his ability to not only create the world the people live in, but to make that world a character, by doing this he opens the movie up in way that helps it connect to the audience and seem real. In the Batman movies the city of Gotham didn't for once feel like it was built on a sound stage, even when the movie went outside of Gotham the world presented there felt real. The world of The Prestige, that time period came alive with the setting, costumes, and period detail, it wasn't just part of the movie but became a character in the movie. Even Inception, even though it didn't have a primary location but every location or set piece that was introduced had a presence and became a character in that scene. Insomnia is the same way, as the Alaska town becomes a character as well as the constant light from it's never setting sun, which is kind of ironic as all the characters are trying to find or hide from the darkness but are constantly surrounded by the ever present light. The Alaskan small town here just seems very real and fits into it's character well.
The other thing Nolan does that helps his movies to not feel outdated - is that the man can direct. His camera placement, camera movements, cuts, edits, and pacing are some of the best in Hollywood and gives his films a timeless quality. His films don't just look good, they are an example of everything that needs to be in a movie to make it a good and the public have voted with their money on how good his films, which is normally a good indication of how good a movie is. Sometimes this "voting" process doesn't work, but for the most part is does work and not a process is Hollywood fully likes, either but it's one that can actually be counted.
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