Inside Man (2006)

Director:

Spike Lee

Writer (WGA):

Russell Gewirtz (written by)

Release Date:

24 March 2006 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

It looked like the perfect bank robbery. But you can't judge a crime by its cover.

Plot:

A cop has to talk down a bank robber after the criminal's perfect heist spirals into a hostage situation.

Plot Keywords:

Bank | Detective | Hostage | Safe Deposit | Negotiation

Awards:

4 wins & 7 nominations

Cast

Denzel Washington	...	Detective Keith Frazier
Clive Owen	...	Dalton Russell
Jodie Foster	...	Madeleine White
Christopher Plummer	...	Arthur Case
Willem Dafoe	...	Captain John Darius
Chiwetel Ejiofor	...	Detective Bill Mitchell
Carlos Andrés Gómez	...	Steve
Kim Director	...	Stevie
James Ransone	...	Steve-O
Bernie Rachelle	...	Chaim (as Bernard Rachelle)
Peter Gerety	...	Captain Coughlin
Victor Colicchio	...	Sergeant Collins
Cassandra Freeman	...	Sylvia
Peter Frechette	...	Peter Hammond
Gerry Vichi	...	Herman Gluck

MPAA:

Rated R for language and some violent images.

Runtime:

129 min | Turkey:116 min (TV version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Albanian

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

USA:R | Ireland:15A | UK:15 | Germany:12 | Australia:MA | Netherlands:12 | Iceland:16 | South Korea:15 | Finland:K-15 | Hong Kong:IIB | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Denmark:11 | Brazil:14 | Argentina:13 | Portugal:M/12 | Malaysia:18PL | Malaysia:U (edited version) | Sweden:11 | Hungary:16 | Italy:T | Canada:14A (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Ontario) | Singapore:NC-16 (re-rating) | Singapore:PG (cut) | Mexico:B15

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Universal Pictures

Trivia:

The shoot-out sequence between the police and the robbers was not in the original script. Spike Lee said he added it because he felt that "it was a good time to interject some action" in the movie. This scene was the last one, it was filmed on the last day so they could "shoot up" the bank movie set.

Goofs:

Errors in geography: When the NYPD ESU is initially setting up around the bank at 20 Exchange Place, Manhattan, FDNY Engine 332 arrives on the scene. FDNY Engine Company 332 is based in Brooklyn, on Bradford St., not Manhattan.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Dalton Russell: My name is Dalton Russell. Pay strict attention to what I say because I choose my words carefully and I never repeat myself. I've told you my name: that's the Who. The Where could most readily be described as a prison cell. But there's a vast difference between being stuck in a tiny cell and being in prison...

Movie Connections:

References "Kojak" (1973)

Soundtrack:

Chaiyya Chaiyya - Bollywood Joint

an entertaining heist flick

Note: I stay away from describing the plot in any detail because it would be very hard to do so without spoiling elements of it. "Inside Man" starts out as a no holds barred, high octane action-thriller, and by its midpoint fully transforms into a breezy, tongue-in-cheek heist movie, reminiscent of The Sting. I felt it to be a little over-plotted, but that comes with the genre - the expected twists and turns are all here, thankfully mostly in non-expected ways. Contrivances abound, and we don't really learn the background of the heist (ie. how the robbers learned about their target) but the story and the overall atmosphere more than make up for this. The meticulously designed plot also compensates for the lack of real 3D characterization - save for Denzel Washington's ambitious policeman hero, who at least achieves a level of humanity throughout the story. The character interaction between him and his sidekick (Chiwetel Ejiofor of "Serenity" fame) and the frustrated captain played by Willem Defoe is great with some sparkling dialog. Clive Owen is okay, most of the time convincing as the criminal mastermind, although he spends most of the film wearing a mask. I'd say this film is harmless fun, not your usual Spike Lee fare, which goes to prove his versatility. There is a hint in the back-story at some heavy issues of the past, but it's nothing more than a macguffin that only achieves some slight significance in the resolution of the movie. There is a neat structural trickery in the use of flash-forward scenes, hinting toward the aftermath of the heist without giving away the real ending. It's used sparingly and cleverly. I can highly recommend this movie, it is never boring for a moment, what's more, I was enjoying it so much that as events were progressing toward the climax, I was wishing it would go on. And that's very rare for me in the movies nowadays.