MOVIE NIGHT TRAFFIC LIGHT

40 Acres & a Mule Filmworks (Distributor: Universal Pictures)

$?

Spike Lee (Malcolm X, Clockers, Mo Better Blues, Summer of Sam)

Brian Grazer (A Beautiful Mind, Apollo 13, Cinderella Man, Flightplan)

Russell Gewirtz (no credits)

Denzel Washington – Keith Frazier (Malcolm X, Man on Fire,Manchurian Candidate, Remember the Titans, The Pelican Brief)

Jody Foster – Madeleine White (Flightplan, Silence of the Lambs, Panic  Room, Contact)

Clive Owen – Dalton Russell (Closer, Pink Panther, Derailed, King Arthur, Bourne Identity)

Pay strict attention to what we say because we choose our words carefully and we never repeat ourselves, so pay strict attention to what we say.

Inside Man is a “keep you guessing, not really sure what is happening” bank heist story that is full of the unexpected.  Clive Owen’s character leads a team who lays siege on a prestigious New York bank and takes everyone hostage.  Denzel Washington (Keith Frazier) plays a cop who is under suspicion for embezzlement, but since he is the only qualified guy around when the bank robbery goes down, he is assigned as the hostage negotiator.  The cops converge on the bank and wait for the robbers demands.  Everything appears to proceed by-the-book until Officer Frazier suspects something more is going on than just a bank robbery.  Things seem even more suspicious when a power broker (Jody Foster) shows up on the scene and demands access to the robbers.  Between the power broker’s obvious allegiance to very influential clients, the robber’s perfectly crafted moves and a highly perceptive cop, the audience is left guessing what is really happening.  In the end, you may not know why everything has happened, but you will know what and how it all went down.

The acting was superb – Denzel Washington and Jodie Foster are true masters of the art, and their fellow cast members were nearly as good.  Spike Lee’s direction was equally impressive - the unusual soundtrack, gritty cinematography, and unique depiction of some of the more emotional scenes were all nice touches that significantly enhanced the experience.  The story, however, was confusing, somewhat anti-climatic, and unresolved at the end.  In hindsight, it had more holes in it than OJ’s alibi.  Or, maybe it didn’t - some clever filmmaking may have actually disguised story weaknesses, making it difficult to tell for sure whether or not it all made sense.  As for the dialogue, it inexplicably cycled between brilliant and blah, at times so mundane that even Denzel Washington couldn’t make it interesting.  In general, though, Inside Man has more brilliance than blah and is therefore entertaining and enjoyable.

On the Movie Night Traffic Light on a scale of GREEN meaning “Go – it’s a must see”, YELLOW meaning “Caution – it’s okay” and RED meaning “No - stop don’t do it."

We rate Inside Man GREEN.  Go – this one is very entertaining!