Non Ho Sonno

It's no secret that many of the great movie directors have periods in which their greatness doesn't quite show.  In the case of Dario Argento, it began in the 1990's.  Truth be told, he hasn't made any really terrible movies per se, but none of the movies made since 1990 have had the impact that his earlier works have had.  Non Ho Sonno, or Sleepless, as translated from Italian, was his 2001 movie that brought elements from his early giallo works to the forefront...perhaps too much.

The basic story of the movie is that a retired insomniac police chief and a son of one of the victims is trying to solve a murder that is being centered around a nursery rhyme that was written by a kickable (little person, in case you didn't get the idea).  Obviously, this detective work puts the loved ones in danger, and the duo has to solve the murder before it's too late.  The movie stars Max Van Sydow as the insomniac cop, and he provides the balance in the movie.  Once he's offed because of a heart attack, the movie seems to drop precipitously.  It's difficult to sympathize with the protagonist (Giacomo), as he comes across as a guy that looks like he ate some meat gone bad.  It's also difficult to sympathize with the murder victims, since they're primarily there as fodder for the killer and nothing more.  The ending is a little too much like Deep Red, and the explanation does sound a little far-fetched.  Not a bad movie, but it should have been much more.