With an all-star lineup of Denzel Washington, Clive Owen and Jodie Foster, and director Spike Lee, you’d expect “Inside Man” to be something to write home to Mom about. But, this heisty thriller felt bland and featured flat characters that were trying too hard.
It’s clear from the beginning that the film is featuring “the perfect heist:” a team of villains led by Dalton Russell (Clive Owen). They’re attacking the Manhattan Trust Bank’s flagship building in downtown NYC. The attack quickly escalates to a hostage situation.
When bank Chairman and CEO Arthur Case (Christoper Plummer) finds out about the attack, he quickly employs the help of power broker and female badass Madeleine White (Jodie Foster). He seeks her help to protect a secret hidden in the bank’s vault, and Foster claims she can help.
After negotiating a favor with the Mayor, Ms. White is granted access to the crime scene where she meets overly-green-and-overly-eager NYPD detective Keith Frazier-with-a-Z (Denzel Washington.) This is his first gig leading a hostage negotiation and, predictably, his unconventional approach frustrates the team in place.
White convinces Frazier to allow her to enter the bank to discuss terms with Russell. Once inside, she learns that Case’s secret is housed in a few documents, and a very large diamond ring which confirm Case’s Nazi involvement. Case had capitalized on Nazi blood money to start his bank and make millions. This discovery reveals one of the film’s largest plot holes: why would a man of such stature keep incriminating documents and paraphernalia in his own bank?
Nonetheless, negotiations boringly continue between Frazier and Russell. As you’d expect, the cat-and-mouse banter eventually reveals that Frazier is slowly getting to Russell. Until Frazier discovers a planted bug in the crime scene op. center and Russell’s men realize the NYPD will be entering the bank in force. They release all the hostages, all dressed in painting smocks and face masks, exactly the same as the crooks. Mass chaos ensues.
Detective Frazier is confused, and has no leads as to which hostages may have been involved. He’s somewhat crestfallen when his superior tells him that since the siege resulted in no stolen money and no lost lives, just to bury the case. Also predictably, he eagerly decides to continue following the case, and after discovering a tip in the vault, he eventually tracks down Case’s involvement.
Russell reveals in the end that he’s only in it for the money, and cleverly escapes the bank, bags in hand, through a well-thought-out plan. He and his team had built a small, hidden shelter in the bank storage closet, in which he stayed for a week after the siege. After the week is through, he leaves the closet, and walks out through the bank’s front door and actually bumps into Detective Frazier.
Once Frazier solves the puzzle, he finds a stray diamond in his pocket, and realizes Russell must have brush-passed it to him, urging him to finally propose to his long-time girlfriend.
I did appreciate the film’s soundtrack: a very big and bluesy NYC crime-machine mob feel.
I will say, Jodie Foster looked amazing (how old is she again?) and Denzel really needed to lose the mustache.
Features:
-My Scenes (the ability to bookmark scenes on the disc)
-Deleted Scenes
-Making of Inside Man
-Number 4 (Denzel and Spike discussing the four times they’ve collaborated)
-Commentary with Spike Lee
-Blue Disc Live
“The Making Of” looks like parts were shot by a high school student, and lots of mutual praise between producer Brian Grazer and Spike Lee. Brian Grazer looks like an electrocuted Richard Simmons. The Making Of is pretty much exactly what you’d expect. No real special effects, just a lot of people paying tribute to one another, and a first-read of the script with the cast.
“Number 4” is essentially a love letter between Denzel and Spike talking about how much they love each other, through each of their four films. At ten minutes, it was about ten minutes too long.
The menu design was reminiscent of a standard-def DVD, and the title sequence was less-than-inspiring.