Holly
04-10-2006, 01:58 PM
March 24
By JAY BOBBIN
Put a crime story in the hands of often-incendiary filmmaker Spike Lee, and the possibilities alone are dazzling.
So is the actual result in the case of “Inside Man,” and that's the really good news. Lee has never hesitated to tackle hot-button issues, and while some of those are still present in his latest movie, the picture's be-all and end-all is the hostage situation that results from an attempted bank robbery gone wrong. We've certainly seen the basic plot before in projects such as “Dog Day Afternoon,” but Lee's energetic technique makes all the difference in revisiting the premise.
Clive Owen (“Closer”) plays the mastermind of the intended heist, and when things go haywire, hostage negotiator Denzel Washington shows up on the scene. The actor's role here is much like the one he had in “The Siege,” right down to having an equally strong and confident female counterpart to contend with; whereas that was Annette Bening in the earlier film, now it's Jodie Foster, and she does a terrific job at being the Washington character's equal.
In fact, as a high-powered woman with strong ties to the besieged bank, she professes to be better at his job than he is. Washington is such a superb actor, he can still stay laser-focused while also betraying just enough of a hint of double-guessing himself against the unflinching front that Foster presents. Meanwhile, inside the bank, Owen makes for a cunning and smooth nemesis.
Among the other stylish things director Lee does is to play with space and time, moving between the present action and the eventual resolution of the crisis, when the hostages tell their sides of the story (in a purposely grainy film stock, yet another smart move on Lee's part). Thus, while its overall theme is more traditional, “Inside Man” has every bit of the edginess of a more-usual Lee venture like “Do the Right Thing” or “Jungle Fever.”
For any and every bank-hostage thriller you've seen before, “Inside Man” energizes and freshens the concept. For it not to be recognized and appreciated for that would be the REAL crime.
(Rated R)
By JAY BOBBIN
Put a crime story in the hands of often-incendiary filmmaker Spike Lee, and the possibilities alone are dazzling.
So is the actual result in the case of “Inside Man,” and that's the really good news. Lee has never hesitated to tackle hot-button issues, and while some of those are still present in his latest movie, the picture's be-all and end-all is the hostage situation that results from an attempted bank robbery gone wrong. We've certainly seen the basic plot before in projects such as “Dog Day Afternoon,” but Lee's energetic technique makes all the difference in revisiting the premise.
Clive Owen (“Closer”) plays the mastermind of the intended heist, and when things go haywire, hostage negotiator Denzel Washington shows up on the scene. The actor's role here is much like the one he had in “The Siege,” right down to having an equally strong and confident female counterpart to contend with; whereas that was Annette Bening in the earlier film, now it's Jodie Foster, and she does a terrific job at being the Washington character's equal.
In fact, as a high-powered woman with strong ties to the besieged bank, she professes to be better at his job than he is. Washington is such a superb actor, he can still stay laser-focused while also betraying just enough of a hint of double-guessing himself against the unflinching front that Foster presents. Meanwhile, inside the bank, Owen makes for a cunning and smooth nemesis.
Among the other stylish things director Lee does is to play with space and time, moving between the present action and the eventual resolution of the crisis, when the hostages tell their sides of the story (in a purposely grainy film stock, yet another smart move on Lee's part). Thus, while its overall theme is more traditional, “Inside Man” has every bit of the edginess of a more-usual Lee venture like “Do the Right Thing” or “Jungle Fever.”
For any and every bank-hostage thriller you've seen before, “Inside Man” energizes and freshens the concept. For it not to be recognized and appreciated for that would be the REAL crime.
(Rated R)