Inside Man

March 29, 2006

Rated: R Runtime: 129 min Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Inside Man is the kind of movie that generates more questions for the movie goer than finding a used condom wrapper in your wife’s purse. Director Spike Lee set out to produce a crime-drama/thriller with a very intricate plot and has, without a doubt, succeeded. A complicated, intricate plot can, if not handled properly, turn a movie into a real mess. You have to be able to unravel it with deliberate precision. You can’t give in to the temptation to give away key points too soon. Likewise, you have to fight the opposite temptation to keep your audience in the dark and let them figure everything out themselves.

Inside Man In this, Lee has done a fantastic job. The story is suitably complex so as to prevent easy guessing up front as to what is happening. Clues (and red herrings) are thrown out periodically to help prod your mind in certain directions.

What seems like a well-planned robbery of an old, established bank quickly appears to take a turn for the worse. A hostage situation ensues and, like many movies with similar beginnings, the robbers make demands. But the demands don’t seem right. Did the robbers suddenly lose 50 IQ points each? Do they have a hidden agenda? Is there a third party tinkering the works? Denzel Washington is Detective Keith Frazier, the hostage negotiator stand-in who is sent to the scene to answer these questions and help ensure a happy ending.

There are a zillion other intriguing questions that pop up along the way and they all play out like a bunch of criss-crossing, falling dominoes. Lee uses several techniques including interjecting interviews with hostages (taken after everything is over with) into the story as it unfolds. It can be a bit jarring to switch timelines suddenly, but I got used to it quickly and looked forward to them after a while so I could glean other details.

The movie isn’t without faults, however. It does get a bit slow in places, but not overly so. Probably the worst problem with the movie is the lack of detail on the backgrounds of the prime characters. Jodie Foster’s character pops into view as some kind of major power broker. But we are never given a clue as to how she came to be the person she is. And her part of the movie is pretty weak and, ultimately, not necessary. Then there is Clive Owen’s character. We have his name (Dalton Russell) and his supposed motives, but we are never given even one iota of history for him.

Ultimately, however, these are pretty minor criticisms given the overall merits of the movie. With the great story and magnificent performances, you won’t much care about any flaws you might notice.

Posted by Alex | Filed Under 4 Stars, Christopher Plummer, Clive Owen, Denzel Washington, Drama, Jodie Foster, R, Theatrical, Thriller, Willem Defoe