This is a slick and very entertaining, though very mainstream, heist movie. Who knew Spike Lee had it in him?
To a lot of people, Spike Lee is known more for his mouth than his actual movies. Inside Man will probably change a lot of that because for the first time he comes across as a director who can step in, take someone else's script and turn out a sharp edged piece of work without having overshadowing the whole affair. It's not a perfect movie but it is a damned entertaining one. Lee infuses the picture with energy and style in a way that perfectly compliments his high powered cast as they strut their stuff.
The story begins with Dalton Russell (Clive Owen) speaking directly to the camera, as if to tell us what happened, before we even see it. From there we back up and watch him lead a crew into a bank and seize control. From there it gets a bit odd though. For one thing, Dalton starts tossing smoke bombs around. He doesn't need them for cover. They do however, attract the attention of a police officer outside the bank. Does Dalton actually want the police involved?
This begins a cat and mouse game between Dalton and Detective Keith Frazier (Denzel Washington). There are demands, bugs, shootings, negotiations and more than a few red herrings. Dalton's crew forces all the hostages to put on identical costumes, the same as the bank robbers wear. This quickly proves effective in confusing the police as periodically Dalton evicts a hostage with a message for the police. This puts every single hostage thrown out in the position of being interrogated by the police, who don't know if this person is involved or not.
Adding to the fun is Madeline White (Jodie Foster), a professional fixer who seems to have contacts with everyone and knows how to use them. She is hired by the bank president (Christopher Plummer), who would like something about his bank kept quiet. Foster turns on the charm to high and uses her high wattage blue eyes to maximum effect but we're never exactly sure what she's all about. The feeling doesn't really go away when the movie is over either. It's a great performance in search of a character. None the less, her verbal dueling with Denzel Washington is worth the price of admission. Washington seems to be having a blast in this role as he too turns the charm all the way up and works every scene for everything it's worth. Caught in the middle, sort of, is Clive Owen, who works under the handicap of a mask in most scenes. Despite that, he makes an impression as his character toys with everyone trying to get him out of the bank.
Spike Lee makes this about more than just a bank robbery. He makes the city itself a character, giving a lot of otherwise ordinary scenes a lot of texture. The city is full of different ethnic types and Lee leverages that heavily. One example is a scene where the police need to identify a language they are listening to from in the bank, so they simply play it for the crowd and ask if anyone knows what it is. Naturally, someone immediately volunteers the information.
The downside of the movie is that it has some twists to deliver but seems reluctant to do so. The third act drags a bit as it stalls and stalls trying to keep from coughing up the answers we want until the last second. In the process a lot of energy and tension built up earlier starts to evaporate while we wait impatiently for the inevitable explanation.
What's delightful about this movie is the way the ultimate Hollywood outsider has delivered exactly the sort of movie that should be Hollywood's specialty, but isn't. The clever script from newbie Russell Gewirtz sets the scene and Lee pulls the strings to give the best possible stage to a trio of Hollywood's best actors, allowing them to do what they do best. This movie is pure entertainment, with just a dash of deeper thoughts, which Lee uses like pepper to give his recipe a spicy jolt. Perhaps Lee should consider working like this a lot more often. He can find much larger audiences and find them far more receptive to his thoughts on race when delivered in the middle of dessert like a pill snuck into a treat to escape a child's notice.
- John Shea
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