The Inside Man
is an entertaining, visceral thrill ride that revives the heist genre
popularized in the 1970s – modernized, but not to the extent
where it’s littered with violence. Who’s our director? Spike Lee. Yep, the guy that gave us such ‘Joints’ as Do the Right Thing, Jungle Fever and Malcom X.
Even the shortest synopses will directly tip-you off to the fact that
he’s swimming in dissimilar waters here : the abovesaid Russell
(Clive ‘Who needs Bond?’ Owen) and company coolly walk into
a crowded Wall Street bank and expertly dismantle the security cameras
- literally, in a flash. Their proclamation that ‘this is a
robbery’ is probably the last typical action these modern day
Robin Hood’s will take. Our inciter has clearly has put a
lot of thought into this robbery, and from the outset, it looks like
he’ll even pull it off. But Denzel Washington’s name at the
top of the marquee isn’t there just for B.O pulling power –
it’s evident his character is going to be the spanner in the plan. Washington’s
Detective Keith Frazier is a man with more troubles than an impeached
President. His girlfriend is giving him a case of the sweats, and the
department has become suspicious that he may have snagged some evidence
room cash to buy her a wedding ring, so when an opportunity arises to
play hero and regain some respect: he jumps at the chance. Not that
this hostage situation is going to any walk in the park. Where
Spike Lee’s films are usually concerned with the racial
difficulties of America, and have always been pretty much headlined by
African American actors, Inside Man isn’t. Sure,
there’s some messages in there – it wouldn’t a Lee
film otherwise, would it? – but for the most part, this is as
commercial as Lee has got. And it’s a refreshing change. Another bonus for the audience, in addition to a born-again Lee, is the appealing cast. In
addition to Owen and Washington, Jodie Foster steps up to the plate to
play a rare supporting role, and typically near walks away with the
picture. Foster’s Madeline White, also assigned to thwart the
robbery, clearly has veins filled with ice, and boy can she work a pair
of pumps! – And boy is she entertaining to watch. Rounding out the cast are Willem Dafoe, as the Emergency Services Unit Captain who clashes with Frazier, James Ransone (The Wire) as Stevie-O, one of the hostages interviewed by Det. Frazier, and rising star Chiwetel Ejiofor (Kinky Boots), fantastic as Frazier’s partner. Screenwriter
Russell Gewirtz’s script might be the real star here though. He
has penned something clever, humorous, tense and terrific – and
never forgets about his audience. In retrospect, the cat-and-mouse game
that Washington and Foster’s characters play in the movie
wouldn’t have worked as well had they been working from sloppy
material. Some will no doubt scream ‘Sell Out’ at Lee
- when he’s next courtside, probably - for making such a
commercial film in Inside Man, but admittedly, they won’t have seen the film – otherwise the picketers would know it’s anything but. EXTRAS Sadly, there are no extras on offer here. But then again, the film seems to stand up for itself quite well. Conclusion:
Movie 80% Extras: N/A
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