Inside ManType: SuspenseLength: 129 minutesMPAA: RCast: Denzel Washington, Clive Owen, Jodie Foster, Christopher PlummerDirector: Spike LeePlaying: Crossroads, Carmike, Mission ValleyRating: * * * * 1/2
Spike Lee’s latest film, Inside Man, has the usual prerequisites for a generic hostage/bank robbery/heist flick: a dogged and unflappable hotshot detective (Denzel Washington), an equally charismatic and mercurial master thief (Clive Owen), dozens of frightened hostages, a major city leaking with bureaucratic conspiracy (New York) and the promise of a twist not to be forgotten until the credits roll and you’ve left the theater. But in the hands of an authentic auteur like Lee, one can only expect the unexpected, which in this case results in the best film so far this year. Inside Man begins with Dalton Russell (Owen) introducing himself to the camera in traditional Spike Lee fashion. He’s planning the perfect bank robbery and wants to let the audience know about it.
Later, Russell and his crew dress up as painters and hold a major New York bank and its motley clientele hostage. Keith Frazier, (Washington) a detective under suspicion for misconduct, and his partner, Detective Bill Mitchell (Chiwetel Ejifor), are immediately called on to the scene to diffuse what they believe to be a traditional, if possible, bank robbery situation. They soon discover that all is not as it appears to be. To further complicate matters, the bank’s owner, Arthur Case (Christopher Plummer), intervenes in the affair. He has something to lose if the thieves succeed in their bold plan. Through various back-channels, he lures power broker Madeline White (Jodie Foster) into the mix so that she can snake her way into the hostage situation and negotiate with the robbers. This is unfamiliar territory for Spike Lee, but it is increasingly familiar for audiences. He crafts his most mainstream film to date and manages to make it his most entertaining. He creates a hybrid between his old nuts-and-bolts style of filmmaking and the new style of heist flicks, a la Ocean’s Eleven. Lee works from a crackerjack script by first-time scribe Russell Gewirtz and tones it in to a slick and serpentine film with a composite of racial tension, unpredictable twists and edge-of-your-seat suspense. Also utilizing stylistic yet gritty cinematography and a bold, jazzy score by his frequent collaborator Terence Blanchard, Lee wields a taut and demanding thriller that comes up short of Sidney Lumet’s Dog Day Afternoon but rivals most hostage films you may have seen in the past decade.Aiding Lee is a terrific cast of well-trained actors: Denzel Washington exudes the authoritative charm and cool that he’s trademarked for years, Clive Owen yet again proves his versatility as the charming and fox-like thief and Jodie Foster shines in her unusually snide and manipulative role. Masterful direction, a razor sharp script, taut suspense and excellent performances make Inside Man a film that cannot be missed.
