Smart and fresh, ‘Inside Man’ stays one step ahead
Director, Spike Lee (“She Hates Me”) has treated us to another turbulent drama. His latest “joint” is genius. With a bank robbery serving as the throbbing nucleus of the story, things are not always what they seem in this smart, entangling film.
Clive Owen (“Derailed”) plays the determined antagonist with startling frankness and we see him carry out his heist within the first three minutes of the film. We get to an awfully quick start with this story and the pace never slows down. Denzel Washington (“Man on Fire”) plays the tough, New York City cop who soon arrives on the bustling street to catch the criminals. But plenty of complications erupt and many hostages are at stake, which causes the robbery to be drawn out over a 24-hour period. To make matters even more unstable, Jodi Foster (“Flightplan”) appears as a scheming, smirking power broker with an agenda of her own.
Your mind gets totally exhausted from this film. And that’s good evidence of how smart it really is. With lots of sweeping camera shots and lots of clever plot twists, you keep on guessing for what seems like every minute. But every guess you make proves to be futile, for you never remain even one step ahead of each character’s conniving plans. After the film was over, I was still marveling at its brilliance and trying to piece every part of the puzzle together.
There isn’t a lot of violence in this film and there are very few scenes with heart-pounding action. It is mostly relies on intellect and figuring out the well-concealed motives of the three main characters. Which one will be able to outsmart the rest? Who is in control? And who will survive? These questions inch their way further and further into your mind until we get to the perfectly composed ending.
Lines that divide the good from the evil are slightly blurred throughout the story’s development. And we are shown the dark, as well as the better, halves of each person (which further adds to the reality). This cast of intriguing characters is due in large part to the amazing actors. Owen is packed full of unbridled energy as he becomes less and less like a crazed criminal and more and more like the ideal mastermind. Washington is clearly the star, who conveys his anxiety nicely while juggling weighty decisions, a stained past and a string of unexpected problems. Foster doesn’t steal the show by any means but she fits into her role fine as a condescending businesswoman. None of these performances are new or super fresh, but great integrity exists behind everyone’s portrayal.
This film is not only praiseworthy for its performances but also for its sharp style of storytelling. The plot unfolds simultaneously at the beginning and the end of the police investigation. And through this construction of events, we slowly realize how everything connects. Full of revealing, subtle dialogue and bits of surprising humor, this is a guaranteed wild ride for anyone at the theater.
Casey T. Allen is a critic for the Utah Statesman. Comments can be sent to caseyal@cc.usu.edu.