Inside Man (2006)

• Review: *** ½ (out of ****)
• Starring: Denzel Washington, Clive Owen, Jodie Foster,Christopher Plummer, Willem Dafoe, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Carlos Andrés Gómez, KimDirector, James Ransone, Bernard Rachelle
• Director: Spike Lee
• Screenplay: Russell Gewirtz
• Length: 129 min.
• MPAA Rating: R ( for language and some violent images)

A small Manhattan bank is thetarget of a robbery attempt that pits New York'sfinest against a procedural genius in Spike Lee's new joint Inside Man.

DetectiveKeith Frazier (Denzel Washington) is under investigation for theft he swears hedidn't commit. However, his chance to show his mettle comes when a bank robberyin progress takes him and his partner Det. Bill Mitchell (Chiwetel Ejiofor)several forces battling for dominance.

Thebank's robbery is being carried out by Dalton Russell (Clive Owen) who has doneso much careful research that the money in the vaults is hardly the target he'safter. His assistants all use monikers derived from the name Steve (CarlosAndrés Gómez, Kim Director and James Ransone) and help him execute a complex,tricky, and generally rewarding plot.

Thebank, owned by World War II survivor Arthur Case (Christopher Plummer) holds asecret that he wants back. He calls on the "favor" of tough-as-nails negotiatorMadeline White (Jodie Foster) to get in and get what he wants to protectwithout arousing suspicion.

Theinterplay between the characters sells the film. Debut screenwriter RussellGewirtz understands his characters. Some holes exist in the labyrinthine plot(such has how Russell knows about Case's secrets), but overall it's a rewardingexperience for anyone who enjoys a character-driven drama.

Inside Man does feature Spike Lee'ssignature racial tensions but they don't overwhelm the film. It remains a filmabout the psychology of crime and its impact on the lives of those involvedfrom the negotiators to the hostages to the criminals.

Helping thecharacters along are some fine performances. Owen plays his roll perfectly. Youdon't love Daltonbut you don't hate him. For all his deviousness, he has the heart of agentleman (epitomized in a scene with the only child hostage and his videogame). Plummer plays his paternal part well and his slow metamorphosis toruthlessness is well played. Foster hasn't been this good since Nell. Though her character certainlydoesn't win friends, it's not hard to see a little bit of the tough-as-nailsside of ourselves in her performance.

Washington gives theonly banal performance in the film. He's never been the type of actor to playagainst type. His performances in TrainingDay and Malcolm X are theexceptions. His character is meant to be the most likeable and Washington conveys thatstrength. However, it is such a standard character for him that you feel likeyou've seen his performance many times before and while his fans love thatabout him, it's difficult not to get tired of it.

The appeal of InsideMan will turn away some die-hard heist fans as it focuses more on theemotions and concerns of those involved than on the logistics of the crime.While the conclusion has a bit of predictability to it, those who don't enjoythe characterization will still feel rewarded in the end.

-Wesley Lovell (May 19, 2006)