spike's version of the perfect heist

Rating: 8/10 (1 April 2006)

Inside Man is a really good "popcorn" film by a great filmmaker. it's by far Spike Lee's most mainstream movie ever, and there were moments where i couldn't help but think the guy was slumming a little to clear his head and financially compensate for She Hate Me (though not a bad film in itself though). the upside when directors, writers and actors stoop a bit to do material they're more than capable of rising above is that there usually ends up being a new life breathed into conventional stories and plot lines, almost reinvigorating the cliché of it all, and i think that everyone involved succeeded in making Inside Man exactly that.
the whole "perfect heist" bit is played out for sure, and there hasn't been a whole lot of success in making it interesting again. De Niro and Norton couldn't make The Score anything more than barely average, and even Mamet's Heist was lacking. but spike injects character, exaggerated as it may be, into the well worn vein and directs a first timer's script with a comfortable echo of all the films that define the great parts of this sub genre while digging a few of his own tricks out of the bag. there's some startlingly dark and light moments contrasting competently throughout.
regardless of the material he's in, Denzel can't be bad (possible exception of The Mighty Quinn), and when he's rejoined with his old director partner Spike Lee, he shines. his street genius detective Keith Frazier plays on one of Denzel's best personas, the cocky bastard who chews his way through anything in his path. when Frazier's mind is really tested, you can hear the wheels getting ready to spin out of his head. it may seem like another version of the same performance you saw in Training Day and He Got Game, but he does it so deftly it's dazzling every time the rest of the cast varies a little in what they offer quality wise, but for the most part they're perfect for their parts. Jodie Foster and Chiwetel Ejiofor in particular, as a concise and ruthless stockbroker and Denzel's wry partner respectively, are aptly tuned to their characters, hamming it up in the best way. Clive Owen was a little inconsistent, but nailed it in all the right places.
i am a fan of Spike. i respect his headstrong tendency to create the works as he envisions them, even when they fall short of a coherent statement (Bamboozled, She Hate Me, Girl 6). aside from that though, i love the way his films capture NYC in such an intimate way. when a director is so devoted to a locale, his affection burns through the screen and infects the viewer. it feels like he doesn't dress the city up or down in a bogus way, but enhances, even romanticizes it where the moment is right. Inside Man isn't a masterpiece by any stretch, but it does hold a respectable place in the broad work of someone as accomplished and bold as Spike Lee.