ALLAN HUNTER at the Movies

A SMART, SINEWY thriller in the tradition of ‘The Usual Suspects’, ‘Inside Man’ is the most entertaining film that Spike Lee has made in a long while.

The quintessential New York filmmaker brings style and polish to a fresh, involving screenplay that recalls such landmark 1970s thrillers as ‘Dog Day Afternoon’, ‘Marathon Man’ and ‘The Taking Of Pelham One, Two, Three’.

He also makes the most of a powerhouse cast that includes Denzel Washington, Jodie Foster and Clive Owen. Owen is Dalton Russell, the brains behind a meticulously planned robbery at the Manhattan Trust Bank.

A hostage situation quickly develops and detective Keith Frazier (Denzel Washington) is brought in to ensure a peaceful resolution to the matter.

It gradually becomes apparent that this is no ordinary robber, and the film itself is decidedly unconventional in its structure; constantly flashing forward to the aftermath of the siege before we even know how it ended.

Further complexity is added when the bank President (Christopher Plummer) hires the mysterious Madeleine White (Jodie Foster) to protect his interests even if that means negotiating directly with Russell and keeping the police in the dark.

A strong ensemble also includes Willem Dafoe and Chiwetel Ejiofor, but it is Denzel Washington who steals the acting honours as the decent, dogged detective who is a lot smarter than anyone believes.

Reliant on some amazing coincidences, ‘Inside Man’ requires that you actively suspend your disbelief. If you start picking holes in the plot then it all starts to fall apart. If you can accept it at face value then it is a satisfying, cleverly textured thriller that blossoms into a modern morality tale.

Nationwide release
Director: Spike Lee
Stars: Denzel Washington, Clive Owen, Jodie Foster, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Willem Dafoe, Christopher Plummer
Screenplay: Russell Gewirtz
Certificate: 15
Running time: 129 mins
Country: USA
Year: 2006

© Allan Hunter, 2006