The Inside Man
THE INSIDE MAN:
Ah yes, the Spike Lee Joint. So it's a joint, not a film. Should I have different expectations going in? Not sure, but I do know that even from the commercials, you could tell that this would be a fairly, um, commercial movie as far as Spike Lee Joints go. So when I saw it at a free universal screening this weekend, it did kind of play out as Spike Lee does The Usual Suspects, which made for an odd juxtaposition of great character moments over a heist plot that never really quite comes together. I mean, take a look at the cast - you can't go wrong. Denzel does here what Denzel does best - the protypical Denzel character of too-cool-for-school law enforcer who is a straight-shooter but doesn't quite play by the rules - an Everyman who happens to moonlight as a badass man's man with a ready and willing wife/girlfriend/groupie waiting breathlessly for her man to finally come home (here it's literally - Denzel's girlfriend spends the WHOLE movie lying in her bed in her underwear sweatily anticipating the moment when her other half gets home for some lovin' ...). You have Jodie Foster in full on high-powered lovable bitch mode, shwoing once again why she's A-list all the way. You have Clive Owen doing a friggin' GREAT job as the lead criminal - a morally complex guy who's in it for the thrill of the chase. And man, even the supporting cast is bigtime. Christopher Plummer reeks of gravitas as an elderly bank mogul whose business is the sight of Clive Owen's robbery. And geez, they even got WILLIAM DAFOE of all people to play a pretty minor role as a cop under Denzel's command. Talk about a loaded cast - this is a who's who of acting greatness, an acting all-star team if you will. If only the plot could live up to the cast. Don't get me wrong, this is a highly enjoyable movie - the dialogue is sharp, over-the-top, classic heist-movie material. The movie is filled with classic Hollywood exchanges that could only ever occur in movies. It may not be your cup of tea if you find that kind of thing cheesy - but if you live for the exchanges in movies like Lethal Weapon and Die Hard, you'll be in heaven with this one. And Spike Lee really puts together a number of great moments here. So many scenes are, on their own, awesome. Especially, believe it or not, when Lee's trademark social commentary is involved. Deride it if you want, but this movie really shines when it's making a statement about post- 9/11 New York and the state of our culture in its aftermath. One scene, where a young kid is playing a violent videogame where you get points for pulling heists and brutally killing gangstas - and the kid shows it in admiration to Clive Owen's character - is just hilariously brilliant. And as a kind of statement film about post 9/11 urban American life, this really works as a film - and it nearly does reach a certain kind of greatness. But the plot and characters are kind of barely there, unfortunately. We never really figure out who Jodie foster's character is supposed to be, or what her deal is, and that lack of info proves pretty irritating as the movie progresses. The twists and turns of the heist are at first riveting, but soon become meaningles once it becomes clear that the movie isn't really going anywhere except to a Usual Suspects-style "Oh! I just realized how he got away with the crime!" moment that never proves all that interesting or surprising. And the motivation and reasoning behind Clive Owen's heist never really resonates. The direction by Spike Lee is a little overdone, with some out-of-place, gimmicky camera shots and some oddly cartoonish scenes of hostages reacting in terror to their captors. But again, as a character study, and as a collection of moments, this is a really fun film, filled with A-List talent and well worth seeing in my opinion. I really enjoyed it, and was willing to overlook some of its shortcomings for the sake of seeing such an all-star cast act their way through so many interesting, funny, and thought-provoking cinematic moments.
My grade: B+
Ah yes, the Spike Lee Joint. So it's a joint, not a film. Should I have different expectations going in? Not sure, but I do know that even from the commercials, you could tell that this would be a fairly, um, commercial movie as far as Spike Lee Joints go. So when I saw it at a free universal screening this weekend, it did kind of play out as Spike Lee does The Usual Suspects, which made for an odd juxtaposition of great character moments over a heist plot that never really quite comes together. I mean, take a look at the cast - you can't go wrong. Denzel does here what Denzel does best - the protypical Denzel character of too-cool-for-school law enforcer who is a straight-shooter but doesn't quite play by the rules - an Everyman who happens to moonlight as a badass man's man with a ready and willing wife/girlfriend/groupie waiting breathlessly for her man to finally come home (here it's literally - Denzel's girlfriend spends the WHOLE movie lying in her bed in her underwear sweatily anticipating the moment when her other half gets home for some lovin' ...). You have Jodie Foster in full on high-powered lovable bitch mode, shwoing once again why she's A-list all the way. You have Clive Owen doing a friggin' GREAT job as the lead criminal - a morally complex guy who's in it for the thrill of the chase. And man, even the supporting cast is bigtime. Christopher Plummer reeks of gravitas as an elderly bank mogul whose business is the sight of Clive Owen's robbery. And geez, they even got WILLIAM DAFOE of all people to play a pretty minor role as a cop under Denzel's command. Talk about a loaded cast - this is a who's who of acting greatness, an acting all-star team if you will. If only the plot could live up to the cast. Don't get me wrong, this is a highly enjoyable movie - the dialogue is sharp, over-the-top, classic heist-movie material. The movie is filled with classic Hollywood exchanges that could only ever occur in movies. It may not be your cup of tea if you find that kind of thing cheesy - but if you live for the exchanges in movies like Lethal Weapon and Die Hard, you'll be in heaven with this one. And Spike Lee really puts together a number of great moments here. So many scenes are, on their own, awesome. Especially, believe it or not, when Lee's trademark social commentary is involved. Deride it if you want, but this movie really shines when it's making a statement about post- 9/11 New York and the state of our culture in its aftermath. One scene, where a young kid is playing a violent videogame where you get points for pulling heists and brutally killing gangstas - and the kid shows it in admiration to Clive Owen's character - is just hilariously brilliant. And as a kind of statement film about post 9/11 urban American life, this really works as a film - and it nearly does reach a certain kind of greatness. But the plot and characters are kind of barely there, unfortunately. We never really figure out who Jodie foster's character is supposed to be, or what her deal is, and that lack of info proves pretty irritating as the movie progresses. The twists and turns of the heist are at first riveting, but soon become meaningles once it becomes clear that the movie isn't really going anywhere except to a Usual Suspects-style "Oh! I just realized how he got away with the crime!" moment that never proves all that interesting or surprising. And the motivation and reasoning behind Clive Owen's heist never really resonates. The direction by Spike Lee is a little overdone, with some out-of-place, gimmicky camera shots and some oddly cartoonish scenes of hostages reacting in terror to their captors. But again, as a character study, and as a collection of moments, this is a really fun film, filled with A-List talent and well worth seeing in my opinion. I really enjoyed it, and was willing to overlook some of its shortcomings for the sake of seeing such an all-star cast act their way through so many interesting, funny, and thought-provoking cinematic moments.
My grade: B+
posted by Danny B at 11:43 PM
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