Inside Man Reviews
A very good movie
Posted : 10 years, 6 months ago on 25 September 2013 09:21I already saw this movie but since it was such a long time ago, I was quite eager to check it out again. First of all, I always had a weak spot for Spike Lee's work and I'm so glad he made recently a nice come-back with 'BlacKkKlansman'. However, during the previous 10 years, Lee really struggled and this movie was his last commercial and critical success.ย Indeed, first of all, there was a really nice cast involved (Denzel Washington, Clive Owen, Jodie Foster, Christopher Plummer, Willem Dafoe, Chiwetel Ejiofor) and they all delivered some solid performances. Then, I always had a weak spot for heist movies and when they are well made like this one, they are pretty much irresistible and really entertaining. In fact, to be honest, the whole thing didn't feel like a Spike Lee feature but it was nice to see him trying something more commercial for once and it was pretty neat that I actually nailed it. Concerning the plot, well, there was a big twist but even though it seemed clever the first time I saw this movie, it didn't have such an impact the second time around so I guess it is not a movie that might require multiple re-watches. Anyway, to conclude, even if it might not be anything really groundbreaking, I really liked this flick and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre.
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Inside Man review
Posted : 10 years, 10 months ago on 9 June 2013 09:33Denzel Washington does a great job of portraying the lead detective charged with negotiating with bank robbers holding a large group of hostages who hide their true intended targets in ambiguity so as to keep the police off balance.
The hostage takers' actions appear on the surface to be different than the interpretation that the police initially ascribe to them. The situation is further complicated by the fact that the hostages are ordered to undress and put on clothes and masks that make them indistinguishable from the criminals.
Clive Owen does a good job as the criminal master mind although we don't get to see his face much as he is masked in most sequences.
If you're in the mood for a good movie about a bank heist that isn't totally predictable, I would recommend seeing this one as it is quite enjoyable if this is your cup of tea.
The hostage takers' actions appear on the surface to be different than the interpretation that the police initially ascribe to them. The situation is further complicated by the fact that the hostages are ordered to undress and put on clothes and masks that make them indistinguishable from the criminals.
Clive Owen does a good job as the criminal master mind although we don't get to see his face much as he is masked in most sequences.
If you're in the mood for a good movie about a bank heist that isn't totally predictable, I would recommend seeing this one as it is quite enjoyable if this is your cup of tea.
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Brilliant Con Job
Posted : 11 years, 6 months ago on 2 October 2012 05:06
When two time Oscar nominated director Spike Lee decides to try his hand in a heist thriller, rest is assured that it would be more than ordinary stuff we get to see & hell it is something. First he gets an awesomely written script by Russell Gewirtz and the cast is adorable. It is quite obvious from the set up itself that there will be comparisons with Dog Day Afternoon and how clever Lee is, he uses the reference in the film itself. Let me use that connection once more, I think this is the best heist thriller post Dog Day Afternoon and that is only similarity these two films have got.
Let's get back to this insanely clever film. I mean it is packed with surprises after surprises. First it starts with a Hindi (Indian) song from the Oscar Winner Indian Musician A.R Rehman (Real surprise to me)then the brilliant casting it has. Getting Dangel Washington, Jodie Foster, Clive Owen, Christopher Plummer, Chiwetel Ejiofor & Willem Dafoe under the same script and handling them to perfection is a commendable job and that pays off nicely. As I have already said the story is really clever and smart and that is brilliantly handled by an equally smart narration. The narration keeps moving back & forth in a non linear manner but in that way it conceals more than revealing anything at all, certainly this adds to the suspense none the less. The con itself is of the highest order and the pre war Nazi connection adds up to the dark narration.
The dialogues are something I really liked. They have been brilliantly written and some of them really had me going.
So with an impressive cast, clever story and brilliant direction Inside man seriously works fine with me. I am going 8 out of 10 for Inside Man, It is really impressive.
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Inside Man review
Posted : 11 years, 9 months ago on 11 July 2012 04:56Inside Man, directed by Spike Lee is an insanely clever movie and it is one of those open-ended films which encourages you to choose a side and come up with your own theories on who is right and who is wrong. It almost follows the same vein of Rashomon and is like a modern re-telling of Dog Day Afternoon or at least that's how I saw it. It's an impressive movie to boot with a great cast and great attention to different ethnics and races and the tension-building is unique. Just like Donnie Brasco is a totally different gangster movie and was very fun to watch, Inside Man is exactly the same. It doesn't employ the shoot here, shoot there, I don't care attitude often adopted by a-many bank heist movies. It also has a much deeper story and strikes many allusions to real life, often missed by many.
Anyway, from the cast Clive Owen (the antagonist) really gave a powerful performance and equally matching him is Denzel Washington (the protagonist) in one of his more better roles. The former's aggressive but calm and dialogue-driven performance and the latter's professionalism really did the trick. From the supporting, Jodie Foster and Christopher Plummer provided good backbone. So, apart from the above mentioned, all the others were just OK.
In conclusion, probably the best bank heist movie since Dog Day Afternoon and deserves to be seen!
8.0/10
Anyway, from the cast Clive Owen (the antagonist) really gave a powerful performance and equally matching him is Denzel Washington (the protagonist) in one of his more better roles. The former's aggressive but calm and dialogue-driven performance and the latter's professionalism really did the trick. From the supporting, Jodie Foster and Christopher Plummer provided good backbone. So, apart from the above mentioned, all the others were just OK.
In conclusion, probably the best bank heist movie since Dog Day Afternoon and deserves to be seen!
8.0/10
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