the finest bank robber's tale burned to celluloid yet

Rating: 9/10 (22 March 2006)

Inside Man
reviewed by Sam Osborn
rating: 4 out of 4
Inside Man is an intelligent film about intelligent people. It maneuvers about its battlefront, moving its pieces back and forth and around and about. There are good guys and there are bad guys. But who we want to win is rarely transparent. Here, the battlefront is the Manhattan Trust Bank. The Cops are Willem Dafoe, Chiwetel Ejiofor, and Denzel Washington, the latter two playing Detectives Frazer and Mitchell. The robber is Clive Owen playing Dalton Russell, who introduces the film staring straight into camera, laying out the who, the what, the where and the when. The How, he says, is where there's the rub.
His plan is ingenious and, more importantly, without pretension. But as in all heist films, the real genius behind the crime is the screenwriter. Richard Gewirtz is Inside Man's literary composer. His approach to the material is one of simplicity. The credits don't roll with our fingers scratching bald spots on our brains. Gewirtz keeps it simple. We are never duped by Inside Man. Mr. Russell tells us in the beginning what his clues are, filling us in on the rest of it at the end. That's right, I heard that sigh of relief. You don't need a PhD. in Criminology to understand this film. There also aren't cheap tricks of style here. No characters are Crazy Johnny, or Scary Sammy, and Fat Jimmy. They are Detective Frazer, Madeleine White, and Dalton Russell. And don't expect the dumb renegade robber undermining the mastermind's authority either. Gewirtz sidestepped that part too. Gewirtz in fact dodged all the usual bullets surrounding heist pictures. His film is smart and crisp, much like the suits our characters wear. They're attacks rarely involve bullets, but are instead borne out of wits and brains. And for this Inside Man feels full.
Spike Lee is unafraid of Inside Man's 130 minutes. It's a long running time for bank robber flick, I know; but this is an epic, plain and simple. And Inside Man is lean. Not a frame is wasted here. It's taken at a vicious clip, never slacking and refusing to allow those bubbles of boredom to trickle up. Lee knows the script is magnificent, and lets it do its thing. He instead focuses his efforts on the film's look. Each shot drips with self-importance, which is fine. Lee wants us to believe these characters to be Power Players. They're all working for results, making us wonder on which side of justice each character rests. His aggressive approach to the film mirrors this, launching us past the money in the bank, and onto the battleground's topographical map, watching as the Players propel themselves about on little floating clouds of motive. Rest assured, however, Spike lee doesn't throw to the breeze his penchant for poetic justice. Justice with Inside Man takes a purer approach than laws can offer.
But don't take this as a rave for a film of sophisticates. This isn't a bank robbery film without entertainment. If nothing else, Inside Man is the best damn fun I've had at the movies yet this year. It keeps us hooked, with actors behind the characters who are steely-eyed with experience; the kind of cast most film school students have wet dreams over. Spike Lee's film is ingenious and, more importantly, without pretension. Its style lends itself sometimes to indulgence, sure. But its indulgence is the spice that comes with a Spike Lee Joint, and must be inhaled fully. He's brought the heist genre back to its roots. There are no mice in this game. Only cats maneuvering about, waiting for their chance to pounce. And while we're at it, let's change cats to panthers. Because there are no kittens prancing around Inside Man. What Spike Lee has done is the impossible, much like his Mr. Russell is attempting. Mr. Lee has spun, quite possibly, the finest bank robber's tale burned to celluloid yet.
Director: Spike Lee
Cast: Clive Owen, Denzel Washington, Jodie Foster
Screenplay: Richard Gewirtz
MPAA Classification: R (language and some violent images)