Courtesy of Universal PicturesSALT LAKE CITY – Every now and then, a serious filmmaker likes to step out of his or her element and try something a little more conventional, a little more “Hollywood,” if you will. Soderbergh had “Ocean’s Eleven,” Scorsese had “Cape Fear;” and now Spike Lee has “Inside Man,” a fairly conventional but roundly effective heist thriller.
Lee is most known for his racially charged dramas and in-depth character studies; in fact, there’s not a single entry in his filmography that doesn’t fit into one or both of those categories. While “Inside Man” is a departure for him, he brings some of that same sensibility to this overdone genre, infusing a traditional plot with some light social commentary about the politics of big business.
Still, for a filmmaker whose work is consistently challenging and thoughtful, this will not go down as one of his most enduring efforts.
The plot is a pretty standard issue: Denzel Washington plays Keith Frazier, a streetwise detective who’s facing heat from the higher-ups on the police force for his alleged involvement in a money-laundering scandal. We presume he’s innocent (come on, it’s Denzel), but he feels the pressure nonetheless. So it’s only fitting that when four “painters” stage a major heist at Manhattan Chase Bank, Frazier and his partner, Bill Mitchell (Chiwetel Ejiofor), get called on the case.
The key player is Dalton Russell (Clive Owen), the mastermind behind the scheme who engages in a cat-and-mouse repartee with Frazier. It soon becomes clear (and it’s par for the course in heist movies) that all is not as it seems. Russell’s actions and demands are curious, and it all seems a bit too simple to Frazier – which makes sense, considering how many times Denzel has played a cop. He knows how this stuff works.
Russell, who narrates part of the film, makes for a great villain because he’s neither likable nor unlikable – He’s ambiguous, and it’s a perfect role for Owen, who plays cool, confident and amoral as well as anyone.
Complicating matters is Madeline White (Jodie Foster), a power broker with a hidden agenda that has something to do with the bank’s CEO, Arthur Case (Christopher Plummer). Once all the pieces are set in place, the cops, the robbers and the suits joust in an old-fashioned battle of wits.
For those who are actually involved in the heist, what they are after and how they pull everything off, are just a few of the elements that are exposed over the course of the film. Lee and first-time screenwriter Russell Gewirtz have put together a densely textured film, layered with the kind of manipulation and sleight of hand that simply makes for good, entertaining cinema.
“Inside Man” may just be another run around the block for a moviegoing public that has been inundated with tricky heist thrillers over the last few years, and it may not provide the intellectual and thematic challenges that many have come to love from Spike Lee. But this is still a worthwhile departure for one of the best filmmakers of his generation.
–‘Inside Man’ is currently in theaters.
