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Avg. Critic Score: 78 out of 100 Generally favorable reviews Metascore® based on all critic reviews
Information for Parents:
17 not for kids
Read Common Sense Media review

Critic scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more favorable reviews.

  • 100
    Washington Post | Desson Thomson

    Something to treasure: a thriller whose style, structure and rhythms are so integrated with the story, you cannot separate them. Read full review

  • 100
    Rolling Stone | Peter Travers

    It's taut, tense and terrific. Read full review

  • 100
    USA Today | Mike Clark

    A perfect fit between filmmaker (Memento's Christopher Nolan) and material (Norway's same-name psycho-chiller from 1997), this remake gets all there is to get out of a peculiar premise with promise. Read full review

  • 91
    Entertainment Weekly | Lisa Schwarzbaum

    Superb psychological thriller. Read full review

  • 90
    Variety | Todd McCarthy

    Gripping, highly dramatic thriller that more than confirms the distinctive talent of young Brit helmer Christopher Nolan. Read full review

  • 90
    Los Angeles Times | Kenneth Turan

    Insomnia shows an equally welcome ability: a gift of creating intelligent, engrossing popular entertainment. Read full review

  • 90
    The New York Times | A.O. Scott

    The anomalous proliferation of scenic beauty gives Mr. Nolan irony to play with, and he uses it spectacularly. The director and his gifted cinematographer, Wally Pfister, are clearly turned on by all this wasted beauty. Read full review

  • 88
    Chicago Sun-Times | Roger Ebert

    Unlike most remakes, the Nolan "Insomnia" is not a pale retread, but a re-examination of the material, like a new production of a good play. Read full review

  • 75
    San Francisco Chronicle | Mick LaSalle

    Haunting psychological drama. Read full review

  • 40
    Washington Post | Stephen Hunter

    In this film, Nolan seems overwhelmed by the budget, the egos of the stars, the thinness of the script, and he doesn't impose much personality on the picture. It's all Pacino. Read full review

View more reviews for Insomnia on Metacritic

Information for Parents
Common Sense Media says not for kids Well-made but grisly thriller is not for kids.
What Parents Need to Know Parents need to know that this movie has brief but grisly violence, a nude corpse, some creepy sound effects, and some very strong language. There are tense scenes and characters are shot and killed. Characters drink and smoke.
  • Families can talk about the moral compromises Dormer makes and the ways in which people have to balance the ends and the means. What will Ellie do next? Why? Why is the town named "Nightmute?" What do you think about the girl who was killed?
The good stuff
  • rolemodels true2 Positive role models: Smart, dedicated female detective.
What to watch for
  • violence false5 Violence: Grisly dead body, characters killed, shooting, tension, peril.
  • sex false3 Sex: Naked dead body.
  • language false5 Language: Very strong language ("f--k" and "s--t").
  • consumerism false0 Consumerism: Not an issue
  • drugsalcoholtobacco false5 Drinking, drugs and smoking: Characters drink a lot.
An independent nonprofit dedicated to providing families the information they need to help kids thrive in a world of media and technology. © Common Sense Media Inc. 2010. All rights reserved.

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