Lee delves ‘Inside’ realm of NYC power players

Published March 31, 2006

Going in to any movie helmed by director Spike Lee ensures only one thing: You'll be challenged to think about life's everyday situations more critically than perhaps you had before.

"Inside Man" is more than your average bank-heist caper, with writer Russell Gewirtz and Lee interjecting sharp glimpses of American society and racial tensions still present on every street corner, no matter the neighborhood. In addition to the ever-present racial dialogue normal to Lee, here we examine the corrupting power of wealth, and power in general.

Dalton Russell (Owen) has planned the perfect bank robbery, targeting Manhattan Trust in New York City with a team of three, apparently thinking of every possible flaw to his plan beforehand. His team walks into the bank dressed as painters with hats, sunglasses and fabric covering their faces, taking the customers and workers hostage and waiting for the police to begin negotiations.

Detective Keith Frazier (Washington) is no stranger to negotiating with criminals, and he and his partner Bill Mitchell (Chiwetel Ejiofor) set up camp, working alongside the police and strategizing their next move. Washington himself is no stranger to playing a cop, and here we're treated to his typical genial mannerisms and wit, but not much more.

While Frazier negotiates with Russell, a new problem in the form of Madeline White (Foster) appears at the blocked-off street corner in front of the bank. Madeline's a key power player in New York, though we never know her exact job. Bank owner Arthur Case (Christopher Plummer) contacted her, asking her to use her skills to protect his mysterious belongings kept in one of the bank's safety deposit boxes.

Foster brings a level of class and artistry to her films that most actresses would murder to have. Here, as the powerful Madeline, she never loses her smile and posits her, at times, unethical requests with a serpentine sweetness you know has carried her to her current status.

The story weaves between action inside the bank and future interrogation scenes of the hostages, each one carrying his own story, stereotypes and opinions on how the robbery went. New York City is its own character, an undeniable melting pot of the American Dream. But what are these dreams built on, and more pertinent here, what have those who've risen to power done to achieve them?

Owen is brilliant in anything he does and can command attention on the screen even when concealed behind sunglasses and a mask. Though we don't see as much of him or learn as much about his character, what Dalton does do and say is never without great consideration and purpose. He says it himself in the opening dialogue of the film: You'd better listen to him carefully, because he never repeats himself.

Entertaining and thought provoking, the film dabbles in civics lessons and sociological studies in addition to its thrilling twists and turns. Unlike certain films, like "Crash," which tell you in practically every frame how important and serious it is, "Inside Man" allows the viewer to decide for himself the lessons to be learned.

Though more mainstream than Lee's typical work, "Inside Man" is a smart thriller that asks important questions, which are all too relevant in our present society to be ignored.