|
With Inside Man, director Spike Lee has crafted a thriller
that is representative of a director who is completely familiar
with the genre. This, though, is Lee's first crime thriller
and yet the outspoken director is able to control the action,
the actors and the story with the utmost in confidence and
finesse. A real victory, considering the film falls far
from the usual genre that Lee has become comfortable in.
***
The change is one that suits Lee well as Inside Man
is another thriller where everything is not what it seems
but there is a big difference, this film is intelligent.
Well, as intelligent as films like this seem to get. Inside
Man is the type of film that gets under your skin as you
try to stay one step ahead of detective Frazer (Denzel Washington),
attempting to beat the film at its own game. Is this really
a bank robbery, you'll ask yourself. How are the robbers
going to escape? ***
Inside Man has a genuinely well-written script that
evokes these questions and more because the head bank robber,
Dalton Russell (Clive Owen), gives no indication as to what
is actually going on, at any point. While he definitely
leaves clues hanging in the air, there is nothing solid
to put them together until he wants us to know and the fact
that Lee is able to string the audience along in this game
is a testament to the refined directorial skill that went
into pacing Inside Man. ***
But I'm getting ahead of myself. The setup is simple,
Dalton Russell has the perfect plan to rob a bank. A plan
that is going to see him simply walk out of the bank when
it is done. How this is going to be done, we really don't
know, because the film only gives us enough information
to get us to the next plot point. Inside Man isn't a film
where you can pin point what's going to happen until it
has already happened. The script stays one step ahead of
you at every juncture and I applaud the movie for managing
that feat. ***
After the bank is taken over, Detective Frazer, who
is under investigation for stealing a lot of money is brought
into the scene to be the hostage negotiator. Running parallel
to him is the bank owner, Arthur Curry (Christopher Plummer)
who has a very large secret in one of the safety deposit
boxes and hires the outside help of Madeline Albright (Jodie
Foster) to ensure his interest. ***
There is a wicked web of lies that permeates out of
the cracks of this plot but that's what makes it so enthralling.
It's a guessing game that out guesses the audience. Finally,
a movie intelligent enough to do that. While, obviously,
you might figure out the ruse before you should, Lee and
the script does a good job keeping it out of sight but not
ignoring it. This isn't one of those thrillers where a selective
bit of information is held out of view so that something
magical can happen during the final ten minutes. No, the
information is in plain sight, it just isn't focused on.***
Not only does Lee show perfect pacing with the script
but he manages to inject his unique view of New York into
the proceedings. New York, more than any other city in America
(from what I've been told and seen in the movies), is a
melting pot of every society. Lee focuses on this multicultural
aspect and always seems to be able to present a new argument
or a thoughtful idea. ***
But past Lee, the script is one that finally offers
an intelligent motivation for the robbers. These are robbers
who have seen the movies, that know that they aren't going
to be the jumbo jet filled with fuel. They just have a leg
up, initially, because the cops don't know that they are
this smart. Clive Owen does such a good job with his role
of Dalton Russell because he is able to hold his cards so
close to his chest. He doesn't tip his hat in any sort of
direction, keeping cool and mellow in the face of an impossibly
tricky situation. Owen is a masterful actor and the fact
that you can never tell what's going on behind his eyes
are a great asset to a role like this one. ***
But, it comes as no surprise, to anyone, that Denzel
Washington holds his own. Washington is a special kind of
actor in which his watchability, his screen presence and
grace are able to make even the worst script seen respectable.
Imagine what it does when he stars in a movie that is more
that half way intelligent? ***
Don't let the kind words fool you, though. Inside Man
is not the second coming of the thriller genre. It is still
that, a genre piece. The only difference is that Lee is
able to inject his own voice into the film where as a lesser
filmmaker might have simply followed the conventional rules
and never gambled by showing any of his personality through
the celluloid. This is a paint by number thrillers with
a great script, an intense cast and a director who isn't
afraid to put his own views into the story. That, and the
film runs a little long, even if it does leave you hanging
until the final frame. ***
Inside Man is a well thought out and above all, intelligent
thriller that doesn't hold anything back. It's an entertaining
piece of filmmaking that won't win any awards, but it won't
need to. It'll send the audience home happy and fulfilled,
glad they spent the night out at the theatre and that's
exactly what Hollywood needs right now. ***
Transfer & Sound: The image throughout is solid and
sharp. The blacks are beautiful and there is little video
noise. A really great transfer. The 5.1 Dolby Digital soundtrack
is powerful and loud. ***
|
