A Collider feature by Nate Williams argues that Christopher Nolan's 2002 thriller Insomnia is unfairly overlooked within his celebrated body of work. The article contends that, although the film is routinely ranked near the bottom of Nolan's filmography, it remains a highly effective psychological thriller and one of the director's most mature works, deserving of far greater recognition than it currently receives.

Insomnia, a remake of the 1997 Norwegian film and the only feature Nolan directed but did not write, follows Los Angeles detective Will Dormer (Al Pacino), who travels to Alaska to investigate a teenage girl's murder and accidentally shoots his partner, then conceals the truth. The piece singles out Pacino's restrained portrayal of guilt and exhaustion as among his finest work, alongside Robin Williams cast against type as a soft-spoken killer. It notes the film's strong reviews — 92% on Rotten Tomatoes and 78 on Metacritic — and that Nolan himself has called it his most underrated film, overshadowed only by the blockbusters that followed.