Christopher Nolan's Underrated Thriller Becomes Global Streaming Hit

Insomnia has become a global streaming success. Directed by Christopher Nolan, the 2002 psychological thriller centers on two homicide detectives from Los Angeles who travel to Alaska to investigate a murder, and after one of the detectives accidentally shoots someone and the killer sees it happen, the two strike a deal to protect each other from prosecution.

The cast includes nine-time Oscar nominee Al Pacino, Oscar winner Robin Williams (Good Will Hunting), two-time Oscar winner Hilary Swank (Boys Don’t Cry, Million Dollar Baby), two-time Emmy nominee Maura Tierney (ER, The Affair), Martin Donovan, Nicky Katt, Paul Dooley, Jonathan Jackson, Larry Holden, Katharine Isabelle, Crystal Lowe, Jay Brazeau, Kerry Sandomirsky, Lorne Cardinal, and Paula Shaw.

Now, over two decades after its release, Insomnia ranks eighth on HBO Max’s Top 10 movies in the world for today, September 22. It ranks below Superman, Gunman, Karate Kid: Legends, Sausage Party, Hypnotic, Road House, After Everything, and above Caleb Hearon: Model Comedian and Geostorm.

Insomnia isn’t available on HBO Max in the United States, though it is available to rent/buy on Prime Video from $3.79.

What Insomnia’s Streaming Success Means For The Movie

After making a name for himself with his low-budget debut Following and the groundbreaking Memento, Christopher Nolan moved into bigger territory with his third movie, Insomnia (2002). Unlike his earlier projects, this was a large-scale thriller with a $46 million budget and star power in Al Pacino and Robin Williams. Despite some strong performances and critical acclaim, the movie made $113 million worldwide, a modest return given its cost.

Over time, Insomnia has slipped into the background of Nolan’s filmography, rarely mentioned in discussions about his best work. Still, Nolan holds it in high regard, calling it his “most underrated” movie in Tom Shone’s 2020 book, The Nolan Variations. While it may not match the acclaim of his most iconic movies, Insomnia remains a thoughtful and overlooked piece in Nolan’s career that deserves more recognition.

Our Take On Insomnia’s Streaming Success

Insomnia is Nolan’s only movie that he did not write himself, as its script was penned by Hillary Seitz as a remake of the 1997 Norwegian film of the same name. However, Nolan’s authorial presence is unmistakable, transforming the material into something uniquely his own. His signature fascination with memory, perception, and subjective truth radiates throughout the movie.

The unreliable perspective of Will Dormer (played by Al Pacino) blurs the line between guilt-driven hallucination and reality, placing audiences in the same disoriented state as the protagonist. Nolan’s mastery of fragmented time, moral ambiguity, and psychological tension ensures that Insomnia never feels like a mere remake. Instead, it’s an essential, if often overlooked, chapter in Nolan’s filmography.