Movies
Screenwriter: Russell Gewirtz
Starring: Denzel Washington, Clive Owen, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Jodie Foster, Christopher Plummer, Willem Dafoe, Christopher Plummer
Running time: 129 mins
Certificate: 15
When a group of bank robbers led by mastermind Dalton Russell (Owen) try to pull off a carefully planned ‘perfect heist’ it is up to NYPD Detectives Frazier (Washington) and Mitchell (Ejiofor) to put a stop to their plans and ensure the safety of the hostages. Matters are further complicated for all concerned when the bank’s founder and chairman (Plummer) hires power broker Madaline White to enter the fray with his own agenda.
In comparison with many of his other more controversial works, here director Spike Lee is playing it a little more straight and turns out an excellent heist movie in a genre which has been done to death. Even though there are well-placed messages about racial issues dotted about the dialogue (a cop fearing that a Sikh is an ‘Arab’) it never seems contrived, the focus clearly being placed upon entertaining the audience rather than persuading them.
Lee’s cast is never less than solid throughout, with a sarcastic Denzel Washington (a Lee favourite) and Chiwetel Ejiofor striking up a great chemistry and being able to produce tension as well as a light-hearted atmosphere. Jodie Foster is as impressive as ever and adds some glamour to proceedings, though she really has little to do in this movie.
As the trailers promise, nothing is what it seems in Inside Man. A cleverly structured plot, often hopping from one point in time to another, ensures that the viewer is kept guessing until the end, with a couple of interesting twists giving it a certain edge.
Although one of Spike Lee’s most commercial movies, he and his strong cast pull off this entertaining, slick and witty crime thriller with panache.
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The movie is well thought out and the dialogue is quick and witty. It has the makings of a big hit. The above mentioned references to racial identity of Indian Sikhs is a nice subtelity and the Indian music at the beginning and end is a salute to the emergence of India in the Western Consciousness. The movie has a overtone about the immoral businessmen who made a neat buck dealing with the Nazi regime.
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A thoroughly enjoyable film that understands its limits and does not attempt to be too clever. Denzel Washington delivers a solid performance as a detective with a bit of style, while the performance of Chiwetel Ejiofor is equally admirable. Nothing too heavy, nothing too political (unusual given Spike Lee's back catalogue)- all in all a very enjoyable heist movie.