Insomnia

You've got to hand it to Home Vision Cinema: While DreamWorks' Saving Private Ryan is hitting video shelves carrying a list price of $109.99, the Home Vision folk are sending their second (the first was Taste of Cherry, reviewed in VL-5/99) new release in the past couple of months out into the marketplace at an unheard of--for a non-blockbuster title--$29.95. Stellan Skarsgard (Good Will Hunting, Breaking the Waves) stars in this "film blanc" (defined as a film noir from the land of the midnight sun") as Swedish homicide detective Jonas Engstrom, a laconic, brooding type with a reputation for being a brilliant investigator (with a somewhat tarnished history). Sent to a remote town in northern Norway to head up a murder investigation, Engstrom allows his overweening hubris (as the Greeks used to say) to get the better of his critical judgment, and ends up making a very costly mistake. Naturally, he does what many semi-cornered tragic figures do: he tries to cover up his error. Thus begins an ever tightening race against the clock, as Engstrom struggles to keep his wits (he's plagued by insomnia in this season where the sun never sets) and quickly find the killer before his co-workers discover his terrible secret. A strong performance from Skarsgard, a bit of quirky plotting, and the aforementioned low price for a new-to-video feature, make Insomnia a solid choice. Recommended. (R. Pitman)[Blu-ray/DVD Combo Review—July 29, 2014—Criterion, 97 min., in Norwegian & Swedish w/English subtitles, not rated, $39.95—Making its first appearance on Blu-ray and latest on DVD, 1997's Insomnia features a beautiful transfer and a DTS-HD 2.0 soundtrack on Blu-ray. Extras include two short films by director Erik Skjoldbjærg—1993's “Near Winter” (35 min.) and 1994's “Close to Home” (31 min.)—as well as a conversation between Skjoldbjærg and actor Stellan Skarsgård (21 min.), a trailer, and a booklet featuring an essay by critic Jonathan Romney. Bottom line: a quirky Scandinavian thriller makes a welcome debut on Blu-ray.]