Review: THE INSIDE MAN

Det. Frazier: Denzel Washington
Dalton Russell: Clive Owen
Madeline White: Jodie Foster
Capt. John Darius: Willem Dafoe
Det. Bill Mitchell: Chiwetel Ejiofor
Arthur Case: Christopher Plummer
Stevie: Kim Director
Steve-O: James Ransone

Spike Lee is one of the most colourful directors out there today, and I use that pun intentionally. When he makes a movie, it’s always has it’s moments when society is critiqued and real issues are always given center stage and a momentary spotlight. I guess that is what might have drawn Spike to a movie like ‘The Inside Man’, because this movie has about a dozen moments like that. Waving a script like this infront of Spike Lee must have been like waving free passes to a Vegas buffet infront of the fat boys. Didn’t take my arm twisting to get him to commit to this project, and I’m glad he did. This movie in the hands of a lesser director would have been a cliched filled film that would have been average at best. Spike’s direction elevates what would have been just another heist film to something unique, special and well worth checking out. Toss is an impressive cast of actors, and you’ve got one hell of a movie, possibly one of the best of the year.

At first the premise looks very simple: A bank robbery takes place in New York where the robbers intentionally take hostages and bunker down while the cops amass outside. Then and it’s up to police negociator Keith Frazier (Denzel Washington) to talk the people out, and try to make sure no hostages get hurt. Seems very normal here, but that is where things start to go wierd. I could see that people in the theatre were scratching their heads and wondering what the robbers were up to. They’ve seen enough bank heist movies to know their way around the scenerio and were wondering why these robbers were not sticking to script. This isn’t lost on the writer’s as well as even the main character doesn’t add things up. There’s one point where Denzel’s Character asks the robber, “Did you see ‘Dog Day Afternoon’?” basically confirming for us all that even the characters are noticing this as well. That things were not adding up and something was amiss. Without giving spoilers, I have to appauld the writers for coming up with a heist film that was so good, I was stunned by the ending when all was revealed. While the payoff did lack some punch, it’s subtle methods were effective none the less. Those who claim they saw this ending coming a mile away are either lying or didn’t really understand what happened.

What makes this story work so well is clearly the work of a fantastic cast. Dezel Washington is the head smart and at times very geeky dectective trying to juggle all that’s going on. Clive Owen however steals the show as Dalton, the brains behind the operation. As the man with the plan, Owen at first looks like the typical evil robber, but as the layers of his character eventually start to show, you appreciate and then love the character as the movie comes to a close. Even when his character is wearing a mask, his eyes and his posture give tell us everything we need to know, and he was just flat out brilliant.

The supporting cast was not to shabby as well. Willem Dafoe was pretty decent as the Police Captain who was trying to work woth the negociators and the people who wanted to crash the place. The one actress that seemed out of place was Jodie Foster. Sure it was nice to have a bit name actress in that role, but it was pretty much unncessary. Any actress could have done that role rather well, and she didn’t seem to make a difference and seems like a waste really. Christopher Plummer, what can I say about this man. We aren’t too fond of bankers to begin with but Plummer ozzes pure black… clearly giving us reason to suspect they’re all evil, every one of them!

The glue that keeps this great heist thriller together is clearly the direction of Spike Like. While delivering what is an entertaining film, it’s still neat to see that Spike was eager to make his usual observations about contemporary society. The scenes are very subtle, but they’re there. From Denzel talking to the cop who reported the robbery in private to the part when the banks robbers released an Arab hostage first that freaked the cops out a bit. These were facinating moments that made the film that much more authentic, especially in a post 9/11 New York setting. This movie has Spikes fingerprints all over it, and he was the right guy to approach with this script. While Inside Man is not up there with Do The Right Thing, Clockers and 25th Hour… it’s definitely one of his more entertaining and intelligent thrillers. It does things a little differently than most cookie cutter thrillers you see in theaters nowadays, and for that reason it keeps you on your toes and keeps you guessing right up until the last act.

Overall, ‘The Inside Man’ is intelligent, intriguing, and flat out entertaining. Spike Lee’s latest effort one of his best in a long time and it will keep your attention for the whole film. At times it’s funny, clever, and contraversial as Lee’s stylish direction perfectly fits the kind of vision the writer had for this script. As I said before and I can’t say it enough, this heist film stands out as a bit more creative and unpredictable. While you may think you know exactly what’s going on, don’t be fooled, clearly you don’t have a friggin’ clue. ‘The Inside Man’ is good at keeping it’s secrets from you right up until the final frame. The cast is led by Lee’s perfect direction, and it’s a movie that is worth catching while still on the big screen. It’s a must see and in this writers opinion, one of the best films of the year so far.

Rating: 9 (Out of 10)