by Chris Narkun
Daily Lobo
I credit myself on being pretty hard to impress when it comes to plot twists.
Once you've seen as many action/suspense/thriller/crime movies as I have, you can see 98 percent of the standard, oh-so-shocking "Gasp - the mole is, in fact, Bruce Willis' boss" variety endings from the theater lobby.
The lobby, in fact, is usually where I want to be when the plot holes and the improbable and unjustifiable plot devices start eroding any semblance of credibility in the sub-par offerings dumped on the public by Hollywood every couple of weeks.
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Spike Lee's latest joint, "Inside Man," on the other hand, manages to feature a satisfyingly surprising finale in addition to its stellar cast, engaging script and deft direction.
By carefully and economically doling out bits of information with tight, almost claustrophobic, cinematography and careful adherence to Russell Gewirtz's excellent script, Lee managed to keep me guessing - usually in the wrong direction - about several twists.
Sprinkled with homages to "Dog Day Afternoon" and other classic heist movies, the film studiously avoids the conventions and clichÇs of the genre, by making everyone from the robbers, the cops and the robbed more complicated than the standard cutouts often used for these films.
Top-lined by the likes of Clive Owen, Denzel Washington, Jodie Foster, Willem Dafoe and Christopher Plummer, "Inside Man" is also built on a foundation of great character actors, like Chiwetel Ejiofor as Washington's detective partner and Peter Gerety as the police chief.
Washington brings his usual suaveness - plus some damn fine outfits - and Owen and Foster are appropriately intense, but the driving script and the crisp direction are what will keep your attention.
The story kicks off with the robbery and doesn't slow down even as it gradually introduces Washington as the lead negotiator, Owen as the careful and precise architect of the robbery, Foster as the fixer protecting valuable interests at stake in the bank and Plummer as the bank's powerful owner. I can't describe any more for fear of spoiling the fun that comes with picking apart the clues and hints the movie offers.
This movie is easily Lee's most mainstream yet, and he handles the task of constructing a crowd-pleasing thriller beautifully, never dumbing things down and still throwing in jabs on race and security in America post-Sept. 11, 2001.
Lee, in combining the gorgeous depictions of New York that have marked his career from "Do the Right Thing" to "The 25th Hour" with some of his favorite actors and an audience-friendly puzzler of a story, has made a quality genre film. Its almost certain success will hopefully lead him to experiment with other departures from his standard fare more frequently.
