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DokBrowne [ 7.0 ]
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Not as engaging or satisfying as it promises to be from the outset, but as everyone has said, for such a conventional movie (surprising for its usually eccentric director), it is curiously ingratiating, given the few Lee touches he provides it and the overall professionalism of his approach. What he sacrifices of his own vision and style he instead puts into solid craftsmanship, which is also unexpected in light of the for-better-or-worse sloppiness of most of the films on his resume. Ultimately, even if it had resulted in a worse picture, I kinda wish he'd given it more of a unique flavor; something really good could have come from that, instead of this polished, well-acted (Willem Dafoe is once again wasted, though), initially intriguing formula piece that, like most movie stories built on mysterious motives that are gradually unraveled, turns out to not be very interesting at all once you have all the answers. Oh well, it was a decent ride while it lasted
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jeff_v [ 5.0 ]
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The movie doesn't hold up well to any degree of thought (Why would the bank owner hang onto to something whose existence could only ruin him? And how did Clive Owen know about this thing? Why didn't they figure out who was a hostage and who was a robber by going through the cell phones & clothes?), and it doesn't go anywhere particularly interesting. Jodie Foster is shoehorned into the movie, presumably because they needed an A-List female star who wouldn't be a love interest. However, her character is ill-defined (Just what does she do for a living again?), implausible, and unnecessary. Most of the film's humor is of the broad Bruckheimer/Bay variety. I did like Terence Blanchard's typically grandiose score though, and the flash-forward interviews were a nice touch.
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Dancing_P [ 7.5 ]
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Going into Inside Man, I thought two things: the siege thriller doesn't have much to offer and Spike Lee, of all people, is not the man who's going to breathe new life into it. I was wrong on both counts. While extremely straight-forward in its delivery, Inside Man is a rare breed: a solid, original Hollywood genre piece. To say it doesn't reinvent the wheel isn't surprising, but at least it rolls its wheel in refreshing directions. A flamboyant police detective on the way to a promotion (Denzel Washington) iscalled in to defuse a robbery/hostage situation by ace robber Clive Owen. He finds the criminal to be especially resourceful and external flim-flamming (in the guise of bank manager Christopher Plummer and cunning bitch Jodie Foster, who advises him in some guise or other) to be especially bothersome to the case. It's a total change of pace for Lee, delivering here his first fully commercial genre film and doing a bang-up job. It flows extremely well, leaving room for Lee to get into some of his own brand of social commentary without hijacking the film into the most expensive op-ed piece of all time. The script does feel over-stuffed (I've yet to figure out what Foster's character does in this movie in the first place, besides adding an A-list female name to the marquee) but it brings a new twist on the clichéd siege structure. The cast is stacked, although some great actors (Willem Dafoe, please stand up) are underused. It's Denzel and Clive squaring off that makes the movie, although they both could play these roles in their sleep. It's not a sign of anything for Renaissance man Lee, but it adds his name to the pool of directors that may get offered scripts before Antoine Fuqua gets to them.
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chapter11 [ 8.0 ]
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Yeah, Jodie Foster sucks. Or, more accurately, her character in this movie does (and her bitchy demeanor and vague-ass sense of purpose), although i'd be lying if i claimed that "Flightplan" didn't make me consider the first option. Without that, though, i thought "Inside Man" worked. Not necessarily on a logical level; then again, i've given up on films ever again working for me on a logical level, so this kicked ass. I'm glad that "Inside Man" doesn't find Lee back on his good old "we are all racist" wagon - the man makes points with the subtlety of a fucking jackhammer, in case anyone missed "Bamboozled" - but, instead, finds him trying his hand at good old Hollywood moviemaking. Which may disappoint anyone else, but hey, this was just what i was expecting out of "Inside Man," and it delivered, far as i'm concerned.
Denzel Washington continues to be one of the most reliable actors around, and continues to ably atone for his cinematic transgressions (goddamn "John Q") with simply superb performances. Chiwetel Ejiofor continues his gradual rise towards cinematic prominence. Willem Dafoe showed up, which usually makes me happy. I predicted the twist, but i liked it all the same. Pretty standard, as far as Spike Lee movies go, but that's good enough for me.
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| Weighted Rating | : 6.7 |
| No. Ratings | : 8 | |
| No. Reviews | : 4 | |
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