The theme of a perfect heist is a constant one in movies. Robbers either manage to pull it off and it all ends with an unexpected and satisfying finale or the whole thing just falls apart horrifically. I won’t reveal to you which road the movie we’re going to be talking about today took. Inside Man is a heist movie featuring an excellent cast and an even better director. And what to say about the writer, Russel Gewirtz, who spent five fucking years developing the concept for the movie? So, you know that Inside Man is going to be one of those big and entertaining movies.
It opens with Dalton Russell, a mastermind of the heist, talking directly to us and explaining he just pulled off a perfect heist. However, his surroundings tell a different story. And immediately you’re met with this conundrum of what really happened. The famous, “you’re probably wondering how I got here” moment. This is a movie that offers nothing new, rearranging all the juiciest aspects of similar crime movies into a satisfying and exciting experience. While the first act is incredibly strong, Inside Man loses momentum in the second one, overwhelmed by the power of the initial premise.
It opens with Dalton Russell, the mastermind of the heist, talking directly to us and explaining he just pulled off a perfect bank robbery. However, his surroundings tell a different story. And immediately you’re met with this conundrum of what really happened. The famous, “you’re probably wondering how I got here” moment. This is a movie that offers nothing new, rearranging all the juiciest aspects of similar crime movies into a satisfying and exciting experience. While the first act is incredibly strong, Inside Man loses momentum in the second one, overwhelmed by the power of the initial premise.
A bank in Manhattan, New York is about to be rushed by a group of highly organized and skilled criminals. All called some variant of the name Steve, they quickly round up hostages and start ransacking the bank. Soon, the police arrive at the scene, led by an experienced detective Keith Frazier. As events start to unfold, Keith begins to think that this might be one of those perfect robberies.
Inside Man is a big commercial blockbuster which means there won’t be any difficult or fucked up scenes. You just know everything is going to be alright. I mean, as much as it can be alright with a crime like this. All of this also means you’ll soon forget all about this movie. I know it seems kind of odd with a story complex and gripping like this, but it’s true nonetheless. I still remember almost all the scenes from Heat, for example. But, one week after I saw this movie, I can only remember a couple of main twists and that’s it.
You can say that Inside Man is too flashy and clever for its own good. At least it’s entertaining as fuck. If you’re looking for similar movies do check out our Subversive Rabbit selection of Heist Movies worth watching.
Director: Spike Lee
Writer: Russell Gewirtz
Cast: Denzel Washington, Clive Owen, Jodie Foster, Christopher Plummer, Willem Dafoe
Fun Stuff: The ring you see is a genuine The Cartier diamond ring worth around $1.5 million.
Rating:
IMDb Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0454848/
