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Inside Man - Spike Lee’s most mainstream film
Spike Lee’s latest project is the heist film thriller, Inside Man (R). In the film, Clive Owen leads a small group of criminals to rob a bank. The situation quickly escalates into a hostage situation. Denzel Washington enters the picture as the hostage negotiator. Jodie Foster, Willem Dafoe, and Christopher Plummer co-star in the film.
Ryan: This is definitely Spike Lee’s most mainstream film. In fact I was somewhat surprised when I heard Lee was directing this movie. Heist films, along with supernatural thrillers, are becoming the most exhausting sub-genre in Hollywood. Thankfully, Lee realized this by concocting a heist film that concentrates on character interaction, and not the arduous intricacies of the heist. By no means is Inside Man a film without problems, but for what it is, it does its job in being entertaining.
Andy: Inside Man has all sorts of potential. The cast is first rate, and Spike Lee is hit and miss, but when he hits it’s usually pretty good. Fortunately for all involved, this is a Spike Lee hit. The screenplay has more bite and intrigue than the average heist flick, partly because the story is told primarily without the audience knowing what the heist is. Many heist films get caught up in gadgets and daring escapes and don’t devote enough to the story and the characters. That is a mistake Lee avoids deftly with this film.
Ryan: What Inside Man has going for it, and this shouldn’t be a surprise, is it’s cast. The movie is filled with strong characters and the performers do a solid job with the material. Denzel’s in leading man form in the film, and Jodie Foster goes out of her normal film role realm and delivers an intriguing performance. Owen continues his line of strong work. Most of his past performances almost always tend to show a dark side, and in this film it comes to the forefront in an evocative manner.
Andy: Paramount to Inside Man’s success is the performance of Denzel Washington. His acting isn’t significantly better than it usually is, but he is such a consistent actor that an average turn for him may be the best performance I see all month. He smoothly transitions from a cop who has everything on the line and is feeling it, to a man on top of the world who can do no wrong. This film has a lot going for it, but it is still Washington’s performance that ultimately carries it.
Ryan: The biggest lapse with Inside Man is the film’s conclusion and resolution. The film reaches its climax and than meanders at the end. Further weakening the ending is the un-fulfilling aspect of some of the films plots points. Owen’s character’s motivation for robbing the bank is never fully explained nor is it fully understood what the connection was between Owen and his object of desire at the bank. Even with these shortcomings, Inside Man manages to be a cut above most heist-based Hollywood thrillers.
Andy: One rather questionable aspect of the movie is the way the Jodi Foster character was used. The character wasn’t developed well, and though Foster’s performance was admirable, it just didn’t flow as seamlessly as Owen and Washington. The film may have run a little longer than it needed to as well, but overall it is an extremely impressive effort.
Inside Man is an engaging and entertaining escape movie, and another rare treat for the month of March. Final grade: B+.
Inside Man is currently playing at Wolf Theatre.
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