11. Insomnia (2002)

Inspired by frosty brilliance of the original 1997 thriller Insomnia, Nolan got behind the wheel of the official American remake with Al Pacino. Beyond the finer details getting domestic relocations – Pacino’s sleepless cop now hails from L.A., and his new surroundings are now rustic Alaska – Insomnia sees Nolan waddle deep into the dadcore genre territory.

Its central story, laced with taboo and marinated in regret, is intriguing but ultimately just functional. If not for its actors like Pacino (who plays “exhausted” so well you’re almost convinced he’s really an insomniac), Hillary Swank (as a local cop whose wide-eyed enthusiasm becomes squinting suspicion), and Robin Williams (playing against type as a middle-aged creep), Insomnia would be indistinguishable from other middling HBO prestige dramas. It scratches nearly all the itches for those who devour dog-eared hardboiled paperbacks, and to be clear, it’s very good. But one might expect it would be better than the sum of its parts.