Movie Review: Inside Man
The story itself seems familiar. Disguised as painters, four armed robbers led by Dalton Russell (Owen) enter a ritzy Manhattan bank and devise a plan to take 50 hostages. They order around their prisoners and threaten violence, shrewdly dressing their hostages in outfits that will cause the hostages to appear as the criminals and throw off the cops. Keith Frazier (Washington) and his teammate seek to negotiate the hostage situation and keep everyone safe while the NYPD sets up camp outside the bank.
Throwing off the storyline is Arthur Case (Christopher Plummer), who is chairman of the bank’s board. Concerned that a threatening secret of his will be uncovered when the bank is robbed, he hires the highly influential Madeline White (Foster) to negotiate with the mayor and heist organizers in order to keep his secret safe at any cost.
The script, penned by freshman writer Russell Gewirtz, doesn’t leave any holes and lends itself to an overall enjoyable film. But the character development is lacking in a motion picture that focuses more on the situation at hand and doesn’t dive too deeply into anyone’s inner person. Even Washington’s character seems to have no major struggle to overcome, other than to prove himself as a higher ranking investigator. And that makes him a bit forgettable. Foster appears only briefly, and Owen’s face is almost always masked, both to the viewer’s disappointment. Also, clues to the movie’s ending are given away throughout the film, which was an interesting choice made by Lee and Gewirtz. In some ways, it seems that too much is revealed too soon, and the viewer loses interest in what should be an intense thrill ride to the end.
Though the music, cinematography and other elements combine to provide a suitable amount of dramatic tension, the film isn’t as memorable as it could have been. With actors like these and a script this tight, a lot more could have been done with the materials given. Unfortunately, Lee fumbles this ball and doesn’t pull it all into one cohesive effort. However, even with that said, Inside Man is still an enjoyable ride that deserves to be seen.
