INSIDE MAN

“That thing you’re suckin’ on, it ain’t no pina colada.”

Perhaps no film released so far this year has had the potential to be great as much as Inside Man. Spike Lee’s first true venture into mainstream blockbuster Hollywood ends up being a fine, average picture, disappointing considering the acting and writing talent that went into it.

INSIDE MAN is a heist picture that starts off ingeniously. Dalton Russel (a superb, chillingly efficient Clive Owen) is the leader of a team of bank robbers who assemble to rob Manhatten Trust Bank. Russel Gewirtz’s remarkable first-time script wastes no time establishing how smart and in-control these bank robbers are. They use a type of flashlight that blinds the camera, have all of the hostages dress in identical jumpsuits, and call each other variations of the name Steven to avoid any recognition afterward. They are seemingly always one step ahead of the cops and the hostages.

Denzel Washington plays Keith Frazier, the police officer who already has enough on his plate at home with a girlfriend who is eager to have him propose to her, and is assigned to negotiate with the robbers, who have demanded two buses and a jumbo jet within 12 hours, or else. Frazierepitomizes the movie: eloquent, intelligent, undeniably cool, and unsure of how to approach his situation.

The supporting characters are all terrific as well. Jodie Foster plays a power broker brought in to handle a dicey situation involving The chairman of the bank's board of directors, controlling entrepreneur Arthur Case (Christopher Plummer), who may or may not have interests at stake. Chiwetel Ejiofor plays Frazier’s partner, who freely admits he does not entirely understand the situation, and questions Frazier’s security about it all.

Ultimately it is Spike Lee’s direction that betrays the film. No matter how many measures he takes, he is not able to create a truly suspenseful atmosphere, or give the audience a payoff that does justice to the rest of the superb script. It shouldn’t come as any real surprise after the film is over why Lee was so hesitant to get to the end, and took so much time getting to the ending. It is unfulfilling.

INSIDE MAN is much better when broken down into its component parts than when examined as a whole. Its terrific acting and script make it a good, fun movie, but its lack of a suspenseful atmosphere may leave some with a disappointing taste in their mouths.

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