Review of Inside Man (2006) by Stuart K — 29 Mar 2014

Directed by Spike Lee, who started off making personal films about prejudice and race in America such as Do the Right Thing (1989), Jungle Fever (1991) and Malcolm X (1992). By the new millennium, he found it harder to get his brand of films made, but he got a hit when he decided to do this heist film written by Russell Gewirtz (Righteous Kill (2008)).

It's a good thriller, but it requires attention. It begins when a group of workers dressed like painters walk into a bank in Manhattan, and take the customers and employees hostage. It's not long before the police get involved, and Detectives Keith Frazier (Denzel Washington) and Bill Mitchell (Chiwitel Ejiofor) take charge with the negotiations, meanwhile the bank's founder Arthur Case (Christopher Plummer) asks his fixer Madeleine White (Jodie Foster) to ensure the safety of the contents of a safe deposit box in the safe of the bank.

The leader of the robbers, Dalton Russell (Clive Owen) has a much more bigger plan in mind, which he believes is the perfect robbery. It does feel a bit like Dog Day Afternoon (1975) at first, but there's a lot more to this film, and nothing is what it seems, and the pay-off, although it takes a while to get it, it well worth it.

Lee has assembled a good cast, and he even plays around the the look and feel of the film as it unfolds.