Inside Man (2006)

For the last week of 2021, we will be taking a break due to the holidays and some unexpected illness - we'll be ok and be back to releasing new episodes next week. ;)

Therefore we are releasing an older episode to celebrate  today's (December 28) birthday of The Greatest Actor of All Time......DENZEL WASHINGTON.  Denzel turns 67 today and what better way to celebrate than revisiting one of his most purely enjoyable performances and films, this modern classic directed by one of our greatest living directors, Spike Lee.
 And be on the lookout for more reviews of Denzel films (Glory, The Tragedy of Macbeth, Crimson Tide) coming soon in 2022..... 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DENZEL!!!

Spike Lee directs this New York-based bank heist thriller starring SIX Oscar winners and/or nominees - Denzel Washington, Jodie Foster, Clive Owen, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Willem Dafoe, and the late great Christopher Plummer – and the result is a highly rewatchable caper film that lives up to its pedigree.  How could it not, with Spike and Denzel leading the charge?  

Host: Geoff Gershon
Producer: Marlene Gershon

https://livingforthecinema.com/

#livingforthecinema #insideman #denzelwashington #spikelee #jodiefoster #cliveowen #willemdafoe #newyork #christopherplummer #chiwetelejiofor #moviereview #moviereviewpodcast #heistmovie #denzel

Transcript

INSIDE MAN - 2006

Directed by Spike Lee (Audio clip)

Starring Denzel Washington, Clive Owen, Jodie Foster, Willem Dafoe, Chiwetel Ejiofor, and Christopher Plummer

Genre: Bank Heist Thriller

Spike Lee’s one straight attempt at making a mainstream genre film just recently turned 15 years old and it still stands as not only his most rewatchable film but probably one of the purely rewatchable films of the past 20 years. This film is smart, funny, suspenseful, and with JUST the right dosage of biting political commentary (and one prominent dolly shot) to still remind you it's A Spike Lee Joint. ;) 

From the smooth opening credits sequence watching a painters van driving from Coney Island with the catchy "Chaiya Chaiya" bouncing in the background all the way to its slyly subdued twist reveal ending, this film is all early '2000's New York attitude in service of a pretty ingenious heist plot. Written by Russell Gurwitz, the why and how (nicely presented at the beginning with a POV monologue by Clive Owen) of the heist slowly teases itself out throughout thanks to canny editing and a pitch-perfect cast filled with top-flight A-level actors, Broadway stage talent, and just regular New Yorkers to add a strong local flavor which always feels authentic yet never detracts from the three main stars shining in roles which play perfectly to their strengths. 

Jodie Foster really nails her ice-queen Manhattan fixer perfectly and does the most with limited screentime...everything coming out of her mouth is dripping with disdain and yet she still kinda comes off as likeable somehow - Foster has been playing strong women in charge going back 30 years now and it's fun to see her subvert that a bit playing for the bad guys for a change. (Audio clip)

This was clearly PEAK Clive Owen (same year he did Children of Men)...all scraggly (with his face covered by mask for half his screentime) and smug and even kinda sounding American as the heist mastermind who's having such a good time throughout that when we find out how not EVERYthing he's doing is just geared towards his own enrichment, we're more tickled watching him pull it off. :) One moment of physical acting on his part early in the film: upon discovering that the bank manager was lying about having his cell phone, Owen (still masked) excuses himself in front of everyone and goes into a nearby office with fogged windows so you can still see him but just BARELY make out that he's pantomiming waving his arms trying to figure out whether he should kill this guy...kind of a weird little juvenile show he puts on before stepping out to grab the bank manager and bring him in to kick the shit out of him. 🤔 Having now seen this movie dozens of times, I still can't quite figure out why his character does this but damn if watching Owen act like Kevin Arnold for a minute to intimidate (I think) the hostages doesn't always crack me up! (Audio clip)

And of course the star of the show is still DENZEL in all of his middle-aged glory swaggering around in an oversized suit and trilby hat as Detective Keith Frasier...all of the Denzelisms are in full force including the John Wayne-with-soul walk, intimidating laugh, abrupt hand-claps, and the thousand yard stare but he's playing a nicely fleshed out veteran cop who's not above maneuvering himself to move up the ranks but is still at his core determined to solve the crime. The film uses a flash-forward device throughout showing him and his partner (played with tons of good humor by Chiwetel Ejiofor) interrogating every released hostage two-on-one to try to determine if they were in on the heist and it's one of the great joys of this movie watching Denzel take different approaches towards tripping them each of them up...some moments almost border on cruelty as he keeps asking one older woman if she robbed the bank (which she clearly didn't) but he still finds a way to have her leave laughing as he gently tells her, "Well goodnight my dear." (Audio clip)

Just no shortage of great lines throughout which complement the tension - one particular favorite of mine has always been between Denzel and Willem Dafoe's (nicely deadpan in a supporting role) Darrius who's leading the tactical team that is under Frazier's command as the chief hostage negotiator: 

(Audio clip)

It takes top talent firing on all cylinders to make a juvenile exchange like that work and here's hoping that at some point in the not-too-distant future, Spike decides to take another dip into this genre pool...I'd gladly dish out a LOT more than five bucks just to see him try. :)

Best Needledrop (best song cue or score used throughout runtime of film): 

As effective as Terrance Blanchard’s score is, this category is a no-brainer – two remixed versions of the same song play over the opening and closing credits, “Chaiyya Chaiyya” which is an Indian pop song that was first released in ’98 by A.R. Rahman.  And not only this song SUPER-catchy but it perfectly blends with the tone and swagger of our three main characters in this film.  Over the opening credits, we hear this song play as we watch our van filled with bank robbers drive from Brooklyn into lower Manhattan – just a genuinely inventive and attention-grabbing way to kick off the movie right after a POV monologue given by Clive Owen’s Dalton as he demurely tells the audience of his plan!  As if that wasn’t cool enough, then Spike takes it further by playing the song again to cap off the end of the movie this time with a hip-hop overlay from Panjabi MC and….over a credits roll of EACH major actor with their name over footage of them just hanging out.  Going back to the ‘70’s and ‘80’s when they end more movies like this such as the original Dune or Cannonball Run, I am just SUCH a sucker for this type of end credits sequence!  This one is particularly pretty dazzling in that we see not only all of the major stars cited but all of the local New Yorkers/sorta actors including Kim Director and Al Patagonia who apparently is a close personal friend of Spike’s and has appeared in several of his movies.  Needless to say, this film opens and closes in just a pitch-perfect manner very much in part to the inclusion of this catchy-ass song – certainly among THE best needle-drops of the ‘2000’s and if I ever get around to do an episode just ranking them, this would definitely be included. (Audio clip)

Wasted Talent (most under-utilized talent involved with film): 

In case it wasn’t already obvious, this cast is just an embarrassment of riches.  You have DENZEL my all-time favorite actor, the legendary Jodie Foster, Chewy (as I like to call him) Ejiofor who has great chemistry with Denzel, Clive Owen – the man who I BADLY wanted to take on the role of James Bond around this time, and the late, great Christopher Plummer who sadly recently left us.  Late in his career as he got into his ‘80’s, Plummer just had a field day playing nefarious tycoon roles like his Victor Chase in this movie who owns the bank…..and has a deep, dark secret.  

Added into the mix is an atypically small supporting role from ANOTHER one of my favorite actors – the man who back in the ’80’s played Jesus of Nazareth AND Rick Masters, the creepiest counterfeiter you ever met just a few years apart and both CONVINCINGLY….oh and in between those two, he just happened to steal a little movie called PLATOON as Sgt. Elias – yup any poster you’ve seen with that indelible image of the soldier falling back with both of his arms up in the air, THAT’S him!  I’m talking about Willem Dafoe of course who just might be our greatest living actor to have never won an Oscar.  It’s undoubtedly a kick to watch him face off as a skeptical ally to Denzel in this movie but I wanted more….and that’s been a common theme for this category as with other actors who have been chosen, you can never have ENOUGH Willem Dafoe.  The scenes of him and the rest of the gang in the van right outside the bank are just so engaging, I would have liked even more….his character pretty much leaves the film entirely with more than a half hour of runtime remaining and that just didn’t feel right.  This film already goes for nearly 130 minutes but come on Spike….you brought both He Got Game and Summer of Sam to 140 minutes each (which was unnecessary for both films), what’s another ten minutes when you can have more scenes with Dafoe?!? Small quibble but just no time to get stingy here…

Trailer Moment (scene or moment that best describes this movie): 

As is the case with the best bank heist thrillers, there are just no shortage of entertaining sequences in this film.  One standout scene has Owen’s Dalton negotiating over the phone and his latest tactic involves laying out a riddle to Denzel’s Detective Frasier and crew – of course the reaction from Frasier’s crew is a kick to watch but it also demonstrates the unique tension developed between the hostage taker and negotiator in this instance….one side has MUCH less urgency than the other and it’s not necessary who you would expect. (Audio clip) 

MVP (person or people most responsible for the success of this film): 

I consider myself an Denzelot and he’s truly fantastic in this, it remains one of his most charming performances…..so I would REALLY like to select him.  But sorry at the end of the day, the MVP has to be Spike Lee – after Clockers, this was his first full-on step into a straight narrative film and he really shines!  With such a complex plot and so many different characters, Spike does an adept job at juggling everything to craft a satisfying caper.  I mean wow, this is the rare film where the TOP SIX speaking parts are ALL Oscar nominated actors – each star gives a strong performance, has a chance to stand out a bit, and yet none of them bog down the story or the pacing.  

Beyond that, the film that most inspired him to take on Inside Man was one of his favorites – and one of mine – Sidney Lumet’s Dog Day Afternoon which came out in ’75 and remains THE gold standard for bank heist movies.  Not only are there loving homages and mentions of Dog Day Afternoon throughout – including two cast members from that film who have supporting roles in this one – but this film is true to the spirit of that ‘70’s classic.  Spike has always been one of THE quintessential New York filmmakers – we’ve seen endless footage of him sitting courtside of Knick’s games to remind us of that.  Pretty much all of the film takes place in about three or four different locations in Manhattan and beyond the locations, it just all feels SO authentic: the accents, the attitudes, and the interactions….it also earns its place alongside Dog Day Afternoon as one of THE great New York movies.  (Audio clip)

Is the BEST film Spike Lee has directed overall?  Probably not…it’s not on the level of Malcolm X, Do the Right Thing, Clockers, or probably even his recent gem Da Five Bloods…. but it remains one of his best.

Final Rating: 5 stars out of 5

Streaming on Peacock