Movie Review

Inside Man

Inside Man is a film by Spike Lee and is far from his usual line of work. This is a very by-the-numbers crime thriller in which Denzel Washington plays a hostage negotiator. A thief by the name of Dalton Russell (played by Clive Owen) has taken over a bank in search of diamonds that he thinks will be an easy catch. However, things don?t go as planned, and Detective Keith Frazier (Washington) along with his partner Bill Mitchell (Chiwetel Ejiofor) are called in to talk Dalton out of the situation and to keep him from harming the hostages inside.

For years I?ve attacked Denzel?s choices of work, as he tends to play the same character in every movie ? and in Inside Man he plays one of the genre?s most clich?d and tired personas. However, I still believe that Denzel is one of the hardest working actors today, and his fast, smooth-talking performance here proves that; he just needs to find more offbeat material. The actor has gone on record in the past and stated that no one offers him comedies, and that thrillers always land on his desk; you?d think a filmmaker out there would hear something like that and take advantage of the situation (a performer like him could do wonders in the right unique role).

The problem with Inside Man is that it is absolutely ordinary. There aren?t any one-two punches in the script, and it almost comes off like your average episode of CSI. Spike Lee tries to give the film oomph with a fairly constant soundtrack but its usage is so traditional, and at times, overdone. What?s most impressive about the film are the names that got onboard; you?ve got Denzel, the rising Chiwetel Ejiofor, Jodie Foster (who plays a power broker), Willem Dafoe (in a useless role), and Christopher Plummer ? not to mention big-time producer Brian Grazer. I?ve heard that Spike Lee is a terrific actor?s director in that he always puts his performers at ease and induces the best work from them, and you can clearly see that in the actors? deliveries. Despite having run-of-the-mill substance, the execution of their roles is commendable.

But because Inside Man is exactly what you?d expect from a typical hostage negotiator flick, it?s all very frustrating. This is a 130-minute film that didn?t need to be over an hour and a half. Unless you?re a fan of this genre and of Denzel, the feature just ends up being an utter bore. Because this is ?the most-Hollywood? Spike has ever gone in his filmmaking, one just has to wonder if this was the easiest paycheck flick he could?ve asked for. I?ve only been a big fan of one of his films so far (25th Hour), and it seems Spike is more of a name than a promise of quality.

Lee's Grade: C

A	0.4%
B	30.0%
C	61.7%
D	8.0%
F	0.0%