Inside Man (15) (From Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard)

Inside Man (15)

With such an excellent director as Spike Lee at the helm the lack of pre-publicity surrounding this film has been extraordinary. Given the stellar cast and Academy Award winner Brian Grazer as producer, one would have expected at least a month's build up of advertising and features about the shoot. Before I saw it I concluded it could be one of three things, either the studio was supremely confident, or Grazer was so wrapped up in the May release of The Da Vinci Code that this didn't warrant his attention, or lastly it was just a load of hokum. Fortunately it turns out to be a perfectly adequate thriller, however I still think a little more razzmatazz would have been wise. Relying on word of mouth to sell a film is always rather a risky business.

We first meet Dalton Russell (Clive Owen) as he introduces himself to us and asks for our attention. Then we see four men togged out in white painters' overalls marching into the lobby of Manhattan Trust, a cornerstone Wall Street branch of a worldwide financial institution. Before the staff and patrons of the bank realise what is happening they find themselves under siege in what appears to be an airtight heist. It is hoped everything can be sorted out as calmly as possible. To that end, NYPD hostage negotiators Detectives Keith Frazier (Denzel Washington) and Bill Mitchell (Chiwetel Ejiofor) are roped in to deal with the heist's ringleader, who turns out to be Dalton Russell. The president of the bank Arthur Case (Christopher Plummer) is informed of the heist, and immediately gets hold of expensive problem fixer Madeline White (Jodie Foster). She manages to inveigle her way into a meeting with Russell to the mild irritation of Frazier, particularly as she is most evasive about what passed between them when she comes out. And so you have it, anymore and I might give the game away.

Washington is always great to watch, and he has the added advantage of having already worked with Lee on three previous productions. Mind you he has played a cop more times than most actors. It is difficult to make a man with a body like Washington's look run of the mill, but they manage it here with quite the most appallingly tailored suits I have ever seen. That said this is a tightly made thriller, though like so many hostage films it is far too long. In the early part it drags considerably, but thankfully as time goes by there are many twists and we are given little tempting titbits to consider, making it intriguing watching. One can only admire Owen; he has been very clever choosing the right character parts for himself avoided the trap so many handsome actors make of playing safe, and only going for romantic leads. The music is bizarre to say the least, starting and ending with a Bollywood intro with chanting, which at no time has any relevance to the proceedings. Sadly, though this production is undoubtedly engaging it isn't quite a clever as it thinks it is, leaving one feeling rather dissatisfied at its conclusion. 6/10