Most critics blast actors for sleepwalking through their roles, but that's exactly what makes Al Pacino's turn as an LA cop who's sleepless in Alaska so eye-opening. In this remake of the already-worthy 1997 Norwegian film, you can't keep your peepers off the battered Pacino who's investigating a murder of a teenage girl. Problem is, he can't focus on the crime (or his other problems) because he's kept awake at night by the always-sunny Artic summer.
His tortured moodiness is intensified by Robin Williams (successfully wielding his dark side), who could be the murderer and messes with Pacino's already scrambled marbles. All the while, bight-eyed local law enforcement gal Hilary Swank is about to get to the bottom of everything. Luckily, suspense maestro and director Christopher Nolan (Memento) keeps his wits about him to draw out a very deliberate, stylish and precise game of psychological thrills that'll keep your head spinning and your eyes squinting until the end. So far, it's the year's best reason to stay awake in the theater.