Lee-Lite but still a damn fine movie all the same - 75%

Rating: 7/10 (31 May 2007)

Being new to the work of Spike Lee, I do feel like someone who has turned up late to someone else's party. Like all movie fans, I was aware of his influence and importance to modern cinema but maybe I was scared off in some way - being a white English guy probably moved me out of his target audience. Thankfully, Lee decided to give us his most mass-appeal movie yet so the uninitiated like me can admire his work and trust me, I do admire this. A twisting and thrilling heist movie with brains to match, "Inside Man" could well be a contender for the most under-rated movie since "Road To Perdition".
Clive Owen plays Dalton Russell, a master criminal who openly brags about planning the perfect bank robbery. At first, his plan works brilliantly - his gang commandeer the bank with ease and he sets his plan in motion. But it's not long before the cops arrive, led by Detectives Frazier (Denzel Washington) and Mitchell (Chiwetel Ejiofor) who become ever-more determined to end the siege of the bank as the hostage crisis escalates. But it isn't as straight forward as that - the bank's owner Arthur Case (veteran Christopher Plummer) has some secrets buried deep in the vault and hires the mysterious Madeleine White (Jodie Foster). Has Russell pulled off the perfect heist or can the cops stop him?
Absorbing and beautifully shot, "Inside Man" shows a film-maker of real class at work. Everything from the quality of the performances (Plummer is simply great to watch) to the perfect subtlety of the soundtrack illustrates exactly how a film should look, sound and feel. Lee even manages to find time to squeeze a little humour from his stellar cast whilst simultaneously making some points on the nature of violence, racial tension and greed. Where I do feel "Inside Man" comes undone is the final act where I found my belief in the story tested as credibility is stretched too far. There were too many unanswered questions for me in the end, I thought, and it left me feeling curiously unsatisfied. I did feel as though I'd watched a lesson in film-making from a master of the art but maybe the tale was too convoluted to be told successfully.
It's a pity that "Inside Man" loses its way towards the end because I can't recall the last time I was so impressed with a film. It draws you into its multi-layered story and doesn't let go for an instant. It is - rejoice - a taunt and tense thriller that actually delivers. If you wish to see how film-making should be done then I suggest you check this out. Ignore the 15-rating, though - the language is strong and frequent but assuming these things don't matter to you, I would happily recommend this utterly absorbing movie. Respect!