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Movie Review by:
Jim "Good Old JR" Rutkowski
Directed by: Spike Lee
Written by: Russell Gewirtz, Menno Meyjes
Starring: Denzel Washington, Clive Owen, Jodie Foster
Running time: 128 minutes,
Released: 03/24/06
Rated R for language and some violent images. |
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 With
so much talent involved - both in front of and behind the
camera - one has a right to anticipate something special
from Inside Man. Does it deliver? Spike Lee's latest joint
is a workmanlike thriller that provides solid performances;
a mixture of comedy, tension, and drama; and an engaging
storyline. But there's nothing extraordinary about the
movie. It's watchable and occasionally compelling, but it
will not stand out as one of 2006's great motion pictures.
One could argue that a cast with this much wattage hasn't
been assembled since Twilight (Paul Newman, Gene Hackman,
Susan Sarandon, Reese Witherspoon). In addition to
headliners Denzel Washington and Clive Owen, Inside Man
features supporting performances from Jodie Foster,
Christopher Plummer, and Willem Dafoe. You know a film has
an impressive cast when the best Dafoe can do is fifth
billing. But if proof was ever needed that gathering a large
group of A-list stars doesn't automatically translate into a
great film, this is it.
Inside Man has a standard-issue heist plot, pitting bank
robbers (with hostages) against cops while an interested
third party muddies the waters. Dalton Russell (Clive Owen)
is the leader of a gang of four masked men who lock down a
Manhattan bank. Holed up with several dozen hostages, he
appears to be executing the perfect bank robbery - but he's
more interested in the contents of one safety deposit box
than in the vault's cash. Detective Keith Frazier (Denzel
Washington) and his partner, Bill Mitchell (Chiwetel Ejiofor),
are the plainclothes officers in charge of the negotiations.
Captain Darius (Willem Dafoe) has an itchy trigger finger,
and is anxious to storm the bank. Meanwhile, the head of
Case Banks' board of directors (Christopher Plummer) is
concerned that the contents of his safety deposit box not
become public knowledge. To ensure that, he hires Madeliene
White (Jodie Foster), a "fixer" with highly placed contacts
and an impeccable reputation, to broker a deal with Russell.
The strength of the film is that the criminals start smart
and finish smart. There's no third act breakdown of
intelligence designed to facilitate a clean ending. For most
of the film, Russell and Frazier are evenly matched. In
their cat-and-mouse game, they take turns outwitting one
another. The script would have been better served by
presenting more of their brinksmanship. The introduction of
White is an unnecessary complication that serves no purpose
beyond giving Jodie Foster something to do. Not that Foster
does a bad job - it's just that her character isn't needed.
Denzel Washington is as reliable as ever. His portrayal of
Frazier is probably one he could do in his sleep, but he
invests the character with a fierce determination and a
degree of moral ambiguity. Fundamentally, Frazier is a good
guy, but he has his price. Clive Owen is hamstrung by the
need to disguise his face and speak with a clipped American
accent. It's tough to shine in those circumstances.
Director Spike Lee is in "big budget" mode, which means he
presents things in a reasonably straightforward manner.
There are flashes of vintage Lee material (such as when a
kid is shown playing a Grand Theft Auto-type video game
highlighted by black-on-black violence), but these are
sidebars. The main story is told in a clear-cut manner, with
periods of moderate tension and a surprisingly high quota of
low-key humor. No one would classify Inside Man as a comedy,
but it's less heavy (and heavy-handed) than one might expect
from a Spike Lee picture.
When Inside Man focuses on the give-and-take between cop and
criminal, it's on sound ground. Their interaction is like a
high stakes game of poker, with neither knowing the other's
hand and each uncertain where the bluffing begins. Within
this context, things work. As a whole, the movie is
entertaining but unremarkable. Exiting the theater, my
comment to a colleague was that I enjoyed it, but it should
have been better. And therein lies the curse of expecting
too much from a March release - even a high-profile one. |
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INSIDE MAN ©
2006 Universal Pictures .
All Rights Reserved
Review © 2006 Alternate Reality, Inc. |
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