Inside Man is Spike Lee’s best film since Do The Right Thing, despite its many flaws. It flows quickly if you don’t stop to question the basic premises of this unusual heist film starring Denzel Washington, Jodie Foster, and Clive Owen. These basic premise problems loom large, but I won’t get into them to avoid ruining the film-lets just say there are some big leaps of faith that are needed to accept the story. However, it works best when he exposes the social/racial fissures that are inherent in a multi-cultural society like New York: Sikhs, Albanians, black, white, Jewish all trying to live with one another. I thought it was effective how he sliced together the narrative of the mastermind, Clive Owen, with the heist in a linear narrative fashion, while interspersing interrogations of the hostages/robbers. Lee really needs to retire the rolling dolly shot that he uses in every film-its annoying not ground breaking in anyway. That being said, I enjoyed this film more than any film since Do The Right Thing.
Comments