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Dalton Russell (Clive Owen) plans to execute the perfect bank robbery, or at least, has planned it, as he says to camera at the very beginning of "Inside Man", Spike Lee's latest movie.
A sequence of shots of NYC overlaid with some upbeat, cheerful music leads the viewer to Dalton's team arriving at their target, a branch of the Manhattan Trust Bank.
Keith "with a Z" Frazier (Denzel Washington) and his partner, Mitchell (Chiwetel Ejiofor) are assigned to the case and have to work with Captain Darius (Willem Dafoe) to find out just what's going on in the bank, who's involved, how many hostages and how to resolve the situation.
Mr Case (Christopher Plummer), owner and founder of the Manhattan Chase Bank is particularly concered that this particular branch of his bank is targeted, and calls on the services of Ms Madeline White (Jodie Foster), a problem solver to the high and powerful in NYC, to protect his interests.
Giving away more than this of the plot, characters and setup would be doing you, the humble viewer, a disservice, as this movie turns out to be a very entertaining crime thriller with an unpredictable (or is it?) plot. Pay strict attention to what Dalton says, as he chooses his words carefully and never repeats himself.
Spike Lee's been known in the past for making politically and racially charged films such as "Do The Right Thing" and "Clockers", and he still manages to make a few points in this movie, although there's only one egregious example of heavy handedness involving a "KILL DAT NIGGA" game an 8 year old boy is playing. With that exception, I doubt you'll feel like you've been preached to, as the plot developments, the flashback/flashforward structure and the eminently likable character of Frazier will keep you entertained.
If nothing else about the movie entertains you, the soundtrack is great - it's reminiscent of the 70s crime dramas the movie attempts in some ways to evoke. No, that doesn't mean Boney M.
| | The good: |
Effective use of humour that keeps things entertaining without destroying the tension. |
| | The bad: |
Jodie Foster's overly happy acting. |
| | The ugly: |
The trite and ridiculous shot at video games. |
8/10
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