15 Films You Didn't Realise Were Remakes

7. Insomnia

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Warner Bros.

Before visionary director Christopher Nolan was known for The Dark Knight Trilogy and confusing the hell out of everyone with Tenet, he made a cat-and-mouse drama in 2002 called Insomnia. In the film, Al Pacino's character, Detective Dormer, is hunting a killer called Walter Finch, played by Robin Williams, in a town where the sun doesn't set. After Dormer accidentally kills his partner, Finch blackmails him, saying he will expose the detective if he pursues the case.

Few people know that this suspense-filled thriller is a remake. (In case you're not keeping count, Insomnia is Robin Williams' third remake on this list and Al Pacino's second.)

The original was a Norwegian semi-noir released in 1997 with a pre-fame Stellan Skarsgard portraying the lead character. Unlike the original, Nolan depicts Dormer suffering from hallucinations to highlight the guilt he's suffering from taking his friend's life.

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James Egan has been with Whatculture for five years and prominently works on Horror, Film, and Video Games. He's written over 80 books including 1000 Facts about Horror Movies Vol. 1-3 1000 Facts about The Greatest Films Ever Made Vol. 1-3 1000 Facts about Video Games Vol. 1-3 1000 Facts About James Bond 1000 Facts About TV Shows