The bank heist movie is one of the more well-known genres that has existed throughout the history of film, evident in the popular films of its kind like “Heat” and “Dog Day Afternoon.” These are the kind of movies that typically pit a cool, clever and likeable robber against the sensible and perceptive veteran cop, set on ending an otherwise bad situation in the best way possible. This usually results in the dramatic death or capture of the criminal. It is this formula for heist movies that has also seen little variation throughout the years in the ways of characters and outcomes. The desperate criminal in need of fast cash holds up a bank only to be cornered by police forces at which point the “veteran cop” arrives to negotiate the matter to an end. The end, of course, is to have the bad guy behind bars and the good guy still breathing. “Inside Man” is not your typical bank heist movie. The latest film from director Spike Lee takes place in New York City as bank robber Dalton Russell (played by Clive Owen) squares off against the veteran detective Keith Frazier (played by Denzel Washington). But what is believed to be nothing more than a simple bank robbery unfolds throughout the movie into a roller-coaster of surprises that takes everyone for a ride.
The film opens with Russell staring into the camera explaining who he is, what he is planning and his reasons for doing it. The questions are answered before the film is even underway save for one: the where. It appears as though Russell is already in a prison cell, something that he hints towards in his Q/A session, but his location is never absolutely clear. The opening scene leaves the audience with something to think about as the rest of the movie unfolds.
Immediately following the opening, a band of robbers storm the bank disguised as painters, taking 40 or 50 hostages comprised of bank customers, security guards and employees, forcing them to don matching paint suits and masks. The entire NYPD force enters the scene as SWAT vans, bike cops, squad cars and communication vans swarm around the perimeter of the bank. Shortly after, the assigned negotiator Frazier (Washington) and his partner Bill Mitchell (Chiwetel Ejiofor) arrive, both equally excited to be handling such a high-profile case.
The situation becomes even more complicated as news of the hold-up reaches the bank’s founder and CEO (Christopher Plummer) who appears more nervous and unsettled rather than concerned. Here also enters Madeline White, (Jodie Foster), as a business woman whose job is never actually described. All that is truly known about her job is that she is an independent operator, working under no rules but her own. White is hired by the bank founder to make sure that certain “interests” located inside the bank are kept safe and especially secret while bringing a conclusion to the standoff.
It is at the point, as day turns to night, that White meets up with Frazier and explains her own situation and the job she must do. It becomes clear to Frazier that what is transpiring inside the bank is no ordinary robbery. Thus begins the true story of “Inside Man.”
In here also lies a problem for the movie. As events unfold and new twists are presented, a fair amount of the characters lack development. While possible enemies become closer confidantes, there is no real personal reasoning or explanation as to why such events occurred. There was enough room to delve deeper into the depth of the characters, but it just wasn’t applied.
One of the more refreshing aspects of the film, however, is that it called for you to pay more attention to all things going on, big or small. What people say or mention in passing, things that catch your eye in certain shots, are important. Without giving too much away, what some people appear to be turns out for the better, some for the worse. Good guys become bad guys and vice versa.
In some reviews already released on “Inside Man,” critics say that, while there are those movies that feel as if they are 15 minutes too long, “Inside Man” is the kind of movie that ends 15 minutes too soon. The movie not only does its job of answering the larger, more central questions by the time the credits roll, but it leaves the possibility open for viewers to form some of their own conclusions. While there have been some movies that have left the door open too wide, “Inside Man” does an excellent job of supplying you with enough hints and information to form sensible conclusions.