"My Name Is Dalton Russell, Pay Strict Attention To What I Say Because I Choose My Words Carefully And Never Repeat Myself." --- Dalton Russell (Clive Owen)

Rating: 8/10 (24 September 2006)

"Inside Man" (2006)
Directed By: Spike Lee
Starring: Denzel Washington, Clive Owen, Jodie Foster, & Christopher Plummer
MPAA Rating: "R" (for language and some violent images)
Spike Lee is an admirable filmmaker, whether you agree with the messages that run thick within his movies or not. Lee is a filmmaker who believes what he believes, whether you or anyone else accept this or not. Many people take offense to his movies, or at least the messages they portray. I must admit that Lee is a very controversial filmmaker and I often find myself feeling that he goes too far in getting his point across. "Inside Man", however, is not a typical Spike Lee movie. Does he still have a message? Most definitely, but Lee makes sure that it is far more subtle here, instead of cramming it into the faces of audiences everywhere. There are moments of implied racism, though we can never be sure if the characters are actually displaying prejudices or if they are simply doing what they feel is necessary for security. These scenes are shockingly effective and grabbed my attention far more than a bold, blatant scene would have, because they made me ponder about what I was seeing. Lee hits an amazing high note here, yet he falters in other placesmainly the logical aspect. We often find ourselves wondering if a character's motive is even remotely possible and if a man who was old enough to be make a fortune during World War II (meaning that he would have to be of a certain age at that time) would still be able to be in charge of a bank, much less look as wonderful as Christopher Plummer.
Dalton Russell (Owen) has planned the so-called perfect bank robbery and he executes it at one of the branches of the bank owned by Arthur Case (Plummer). Detective Keith Frazier (Washington) is put on the case and immediately realizes that this is not a typical bank robbery. Russell has fifty hostages inside, all dressed in the same outfits as he and his cronies. Russell releases one hostage every now and again for various reasons and threatens to kill the others if the police attempt to interfere. Arthur Case, however, cannot afford to let the robbers remain in his bank. He has something in a safety deposit bank that cannot be made public or it will ruin him. So, he calls upon Madeline White (Foster), a power broker, to go in and clear up the entire situation. With the help of the Mayor (Peter Kybart), a man who owes here a few favors, White gets full access to the scene. But her presence and her agenda only intensify the situation and make everything far more complicated. As secrets are exposed and the entire heist begins to spiral out of control, everyone involved is hurled into a dangerous game of cat-and-mouse that will grab you, draw you in, and hurl you into a world of lies and manipulation as only Spike Lee could do it. What begins as an average bank-heist thriller turns into a movie of deceit that will keep you guessing until the shocking conclusion.
"Inside Man" is a very character-driven film and, if nothing else, Spike Lee proves that he knows how to get an amazing cast to fill these roles. Academy Award winner Denzel Washington takes on the lead and does so with utter competence and confidence. Washington knows how to turn fifteen minutes of dialog into an exciting scene, which was necessary for this movie. Academy Award nominee Clive Owen gives a subdued performance, which works well here. His calm demeanor adds to the idea that his character knows exactly what he is doing. Academy Award winner Jodie Foster was just so "on" here, but isn't she always? She exudes arrogance and sexiness and it all fits so perfectly with her role. After all, she is playing a woman that feels as though she can manipulate any situation in her favor (and she actually can, no less). I couldn't imagine her character being played by anyone else. Christopher Plummer always delivers spectacular performances and, here, there is no difference. I found his character to be one filled with wealth, class, and powerand yet, at his very core, was a pit of sleaziness and greed. Plummer made sure that both parts of his character were portrayed as they should be, with the dignified portion of his demeanor being the most prominent with only traces of his greediness slipping through. He hit the nail on the head.
"Inside Man" is a film that truly understands what it so desperately wants to be and it reaches with all of its might to achieve that goal. Did it actually reach its desired location, though? Well, yesand yet, no. "Inside Man" wants to be a twisted, intelligent game of cat-and-mouse and was throughout the entire movie. It kept me on the edge of my seat and had me guessing until the ending. I was constantly trying to decipher Dalton Russell's twisted motives and I found it to be shockingly intriguing to watch Detective Keith Frazier trying to outwit him. But, the finale just left much to be desired. I didn't buy Russell's motives. Why go through all of the trouble simply to expose someone's dark secret and steal a few diamondswhen there were millions of dollars right in front of him? I felt that the script was going strong for the entire movie and then, in the last twenty minutes, the screenwriter just decided to put down his pen and walk away with only a disappointing conclusion. Still, the journey to achieve this finale is a great one and is certainly more entertaining than the typical bank heist thrillers.
Final Thought: "Inside Man" is a wonderful thriller, until the disappointing conclusion.
Overall Rating: 8/10 (A-)