The question that any American remake of a foreign movie has to answer is this: Why? And though Christopher Nolan‘s update of the Norwegian original is a tight thriller with surprisingly restrained performances from two of Hollywood’s biggest hams, it never quite comes up with an answer.

Just four years after the original, Nolan’s Insomnia transferred the story of murder, guilt, and madness to summer in Nightmute, Alaska, where the sun never sets. Al Pacino plays Dormer, a legendary L.A.P.D. detective on loan to solve the murder of a 17-year-old girl. In a foggy shoot-out with a suspect, Dormer accidentally kills his partner, who was about to turn himself in for corruption, tainting Dormer’s life’s work, too. Turns out they aren’t just in Alaska to lend a hand, but to get out of the way of an Internal Affairs investigation.

No one saw Dormer shoot his partner, and he used a backup gun. So when the local cops point the finger at the suspect, he goes along with it. Then the suspect, who saw it all happen, starts calling and Dormer gets caught up in a tense game of one-upmanship as the two try to implicate each other and save themselves.

Robin Williams is chilling as a cold-tempered local mystery writer who knew the victim, and the supporting cast is strong, with Hilary Swank as the rookie who idolizes Dormer and Maura Tierney, criminally underused, as the desk clerk at his hotel. Nolan does a great job showing Dormer start to crack, tormented by his conscience and the relentless midnight sun. But his greatest achievement may have been reining in Pacino, who mostly manages to steer clear of his trademark overacting, and Williams, who is even more restrained.

The Blu-ray release is timed to ride the hype of Inception, but doesn’t add any extras that weren’t available in 2002′s DVD release: one extra scene; four making-of featurettes, including a 17-minute chat between Nolan and Pacino; a full commentary by Nolan, with additional commentary from Swank, the screenwriter, the production designer, and the cinematographer; a stills gallery; and the theatrical trailer. But the new 1080p transfer does look beautiful, highlighting Nolan’s fine eye (helped along by master cinematographer Wally Pfister).

After the daring experimentation of Memento, Nolan may have intentionally chosen something more mainstream and marketable to prove himself to the studios — call it his Point of No Return. (SAT time; Norwegian Insomnia : American Insomnia :: La Femme Nikita : ______.) It’s a shame that his vision and obvious skill with actors wasn’t pointed in a new direction, but for those who never saw the original, this is a satisfying, well-executed thriller with Nolan’s distinctive touch.

Insomnia [Blu-ray] is available now from Warner Brothers.

Tags: blu-ray reviews, christopher nolan, inception, insomnia