NFL
By: Matt Overton
The Seventeenth Joint
Star leading man Denzel Washington is back with director Spike for their fourth and most recent collaboration prior to this year’s exciting drop. Inside Man is what happens when a writer wants to make a heist film that isn’t all that interested in making the police the heroes of the story. Russell Gewirtz penned two film scripts plus a couple television episodes, but other than that is a ghost. I much prefer when Spike writes his own scripts, but this was an interesting look into how he operates with a script from someone else.
Washington is Detective Frazier, a hostage negotiator who is still recovering from being erroneously blamed for missing money confiscated from a crime scene. His captain is hesitant to put him on a bank robbery/hostage situation, but who can say no to that smile? Clive Owen portrays Dalton Russell, the smartest criminal in the world, who has orchestrated the perfect heist with every minuscule detail planned out. He makes that clear in the opening narration which he delivers from inside his “cell.” He only speaks when necessary, never repeats himself, and will most definitely belittle your intelligence in conversation whenever the opportunity arises.
This is a heist story first and foremost, but it is often playing with the idea of the genre. It’s not totally clear what these robbers are after, nor their motivations, even well into the third act. If you enjoy watching a perfect heist, this is the movie for you, because Russell really did plan for everything. It is exhilarating as it is unsettling to watch an antagonist who is always one step ahead. I was constantly impressed at the creativity of it all, and kept scratching my head in surprise as another small detail that was planned for came to fruition.
Inside Man is a solid heist movie but a pretty tame Spike Lee joint. He manages to include at least a couple sultry hot scenes between Frazier and his girlfriend who is basically begging to get engaged. This is a certified Joint starring Denzel so of course Spike has him front and center for the most incredibly unhinged dolly shot in this filmography. Spike gets pretty creative with some of the staging, especially whenever a criminal is involved, and there are a couple long takes that are impressive to behold. Longtime Spike collaborator Terrance Blanchard provides the film’s score which includes some memorable needle drops but also original compositions that inject a ton of tension.
I can understand why many people prefer something straightforward like Inside Man, but I’m definitely on the side that really enjoys Spike’s scripts vis a vis his more political works. This is the most commercial movie I’ve seen from the director; every so often an artist like Spike owes the studio a movie, and I can see this being that kind of project. In between all of his poignant and controversial political pictures, a man has to make something fiscally responsible, and I respect that.
