Inside Man (B- or 2.5/4 stars)
Money matters in 'Inside Man', a crime drama directed by the great Spike Lee. Detective Keith Frazier (Denzel Washington) has to talk down a bank robber, Dalton Russell (Clive Owen) after the criminal's perfect heist descends into a deadly hostage situation. Matching wits, a dangerous cat & mouse game unfolds, and Madeliene White (Jodie Foster), a power-broker with an agenda of her own, is called-in to negotiate & stabilize the volatile situation. The mood is right, the twists intrigue, the cast is superb, there's suspense, unpredictability, comic relief, tension in spades. So why was I confused & underwhelmed by the end of it all?
So 4 people dressed in painters' clothes enter a bank in Manhattan. Once situated, the robbers take a hefty amount of hostages & head for the vault. Head negotiator, Frazier, and Det. Bill Mitchell (Chiwetel Ejiofor) arrive on the scene to contact Dalton Russell. Frazier's number one goal is to save the hostages. But Russell starts to toy with Frazier. With time passing by, Russell is able to outwit each cop who attempts their heroic feats to take him down. It's here where Madeliene is called, with the help of the mayor, to have a go at Russell. Madeliene wants Russell to give up, IF he lets her get something out of the bank's board of director's (Christopher Plummer) safe deposit box! The deal: Abbreviated jail time & $2,000,000 when they get out. Will he bite? You bet he won't.
Why is Capt. Darius (Willem Dafoe) so anxious to storm the castle (if you may)? What is the board of director hiding in the safe? Why wouldn't he want it revealed? Why is Dalton Russell asking for a plane? He really doesn't need one and he knows he won't get it. Just why is Russell taking his dandy time inside the vault? Russell entices the ton of cops outside to watch the perfect heist unfold ... right before their very eyes. Wow, sounds riveting, right? Well, it is ... for a while. The film starts out with vim, vigor & action. Then it relegates to cheeky heist flick. Then the many irrelevant twists come into play.
It's a shame so many subplots clogged the initially clever story. And by the end, we never really understand Russell's intentions in the 1st place. In fact, while the film looks good, it fails to offer enough substance & character depth to realize what 'anyones' intentions truly are. Denzel is Denzel, a.k.a. very good. Dafoe offers crackling dialogue. Ejiofor impresses. Owen (mostly masked) does what he can. And Jodie Foster is stellar as a 'fixer' with a fantastic reputation. But big names & atmosphere barely make up for an unraveling plot full of contrivances. With as much talent involved here, you'd think it would be extraordinary. It isn't; and it should have been amazing. Still, as harmless popcorn entertainment, the film succeeds on its intangibles.
So 4 people dressed in painters' clothes enter a bank in Manhattan. Once situated, the robbers take a hefty amount of hostages & head for the vault. Head negotiator, Frazier, and Det. Bill Mitchell (Chiwetel Ejiofor) arrive on the scene to contact Dalton Russell. Frazier's number one goal is to save the hostages. But Russell starts to toy with Frazier. With time passing by, Russell is able to outwit each cop who attempts their heroic feats to take him down. It's here where Madeliene is called, with the help of the mayor, to have a go at Russell. Madeliene wants Russell to give up, IF he lets her get something out of the bank's board of director's (Christopher Plummer) safe deposit box! The deal: Abbreviated jail time & $2,000,000 when they get out. Will he bite? You bet he won't.
Why is Capt. Darius (Willem Dafoe) so anxious to storm the castle (if you may)? What is the board of director hiding in the safe? Why wouldn't he want it revealed? Why is Dalton Russell asking for a plane? He really doesn't need one and he knows he won't get it. Just why is Russell taking his dandy time inside the vault? Russell entices the ton of cops outside to watch the perfect heist unfold ... right before their very eyes. Wow, sounds riveting, right? Well, it is ... for a while. The film starts out with vim, vigor & action. Then it relegates to cheeky heist flick. Then the many irrelevant twists come into play.
It's a shame so many subplots clogged the initially clever story. And by the end, we never really understand Russell's intentions in the 1st place. In fact, while the film looks good, it fails to offer enough substance & character depth to realize what 'anyones' intentions truly are. Denzel is Denzel, a.k.a. very good. Dafoe offers crackling dialogue. Ejiofor impresses. Owen (mostly masked) does what he can. And Jodie Foster is stellar as a 'fixer' with a fantastic reputation. But big names & atmosphere barely make up for an unraveling plot full of contrivances. With as much talent involved here, you'd think it would be extraordinary. It isn't; and it should have been amazing. Still, as harmless popcorn entertainment, the film succeeds on its intangibles.