In the shadow of an ongoing internal-affairs investigation, LAPD detectives Will Dormer (Pacino) and Hap Eckhardt (Donovan) are sent to a small Alaskan town to help solve the murder of a teenage girl. During a fog-laden outdoor excursion to trap crafty suspect Walter Finch (Williams), Dormer brings about a fatal accident, then shields his responsibility from the police. As it turns out, Finch was right there after all... and saw everything.

An intriguing, top-notch reworking of a Norwegian psychological thriller, "Insomnia" gets a lot of mileage out of its picturesque Alaskan setting; constant Northern daylight is the trigger for Dormer's sleepless (and guilt-ridden) nights. Pacino excels as the tortured cop whose error in judgment lands him in a cat-and-mouse game with his suspect, chillingly played by Williams. With strong support from Donovan and Hilary Swank (as a gung-ho rookie cop on the case), this moody, gripping film — complete with a chase sequence on floating logs — should keep you wide awake.