Inside Man
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Inside_Man".

This article is about the 2006 film by Spike Lee starring Denzel Washington. For the Star Trek: Voyager episode, see Inside Man (Voyager episode).
content
Inside Man

Promotional poster for Inside Man
Directed by Spike Lee
Produced by Brian Grazer
Written by Russell Gewirtz
Starring Denzel Washington
Clive Owen
Jodie Foster
Willem Dafoe
Chiwetel Ejiofor
Christopher Plummer
Music by Terence Blanchard
Cinematography Matthew Libatique
Editing by Barry Alexander Brown
Distributed by Universal (USA)
UIP (International)
Release date(s) March 23, 2006
Running time 129 minutes
Language English
Budget $45,000,000
IMDb profile

Inside Man is a 2006 crime-drama film directed by Spike Lee. It stars Denzel Washington, Clive Owen, Willem Dafoe and Jodie Foster. The film's screenplay is written by Russell Gewirtz and produced by Brian Grazer. It was released in North America and several European markets on March 23 and 24, 2006.

The film was shot on location in New York City and features an expansive and diverse ensemble cast. In addition to being a cerebral action-oriented thriller, the film handles issues of good and evil in unexpected sources, corruption, prejudice, multiculturalism in America (and New York City in particular) post-September 11, 2001, genocide and leaves several interpretations of right and wrong open to the audience.

The title comes from several different meanings of the term "inside man", and may be considered a use of wordplay.

Contents

Plot

 The plot summary in this article or section is too long or detailed compared to the rest of the article.
Please edit the article to focus on discussing the work rather than merely reiterating the plot. (August 2007)

Inside Man opens with a closeup of Dalton Russell (Clive Owen) sitting in confinement, though the location of the cell he is in is not revealed. He muses, to the audience, the difference between a cell and a prison and offers to explain to the viewer his "perfect" plan for a bank robbery.[1]

The film flashes back to the robbers, who refer to each other using variants of the name "Steve", gathering in a van to prepare for the heist. Led by Russell, the robbers enter a bank disguised as painters. Knocking out the security cameras, they brandish firearms and begin taking over the bank, moving staff and customers deeper into the bank, confiscating cell phones and keys, Russell delivering a beating to a manager who attempts to withhold his. The robbers force all of the hostages to don the same clothes as the robbers, hooded coveralls with sunglasses and masks. They lock them in a number of different rooms, periodically moving them around, and also substituting themselves in as hostages occasionally, each one making a scene to ensure that the other hostages take note of them.

Meanwhile, the police arrive and surround the bank. Detectives Keith Frazier (Denzel Washington) and Bill Mitchell (Chiwetel Ejiofor) introduce themselves to Captain Darius (Willem Dafoe) and briefly discuss the situation.

Meanwhile Arthur Case (Christopher Plummer), chairman of the board of directors and founder of the bank, hires fixer Madeleine White (Jodie Foster) to try to arrange for the contents of his safe deposit box at the bank to remain secret. White meets with the mayor, then manipulates Frazier to let her talk to Russell. Mentioning the special interests she wants to protect, she persuades Russell to let her enter the bank to talk. When White requests access to the safe deposit box, Russell shows her a document, which indicates that Case had received money, enough to set up his bank, from the Nazis during World War II for unspecified services that resulted in Jewish deaths. After assuring Russell that Case will make him a very wealthy man if he is able to escape the bank with this document, White leaves.

Attempting a bluff, Frazier tells Russell that his plane is ready but he needs to know that all the hostages are safe before he can let them leave. Russell allows him to enter the bank, and Frazier is taken on a tour of the building and checks all the hostages, while they discuss the situation, and also Frazier's desire to propose to his girlfriend, something which Russell suggests he should do regardless of finances. Upon exiting the bank, Frazier attempts to overpower Russell, only to fail when another robber comes to Russell's aid. Russell still lets Frazier leave unharmed with seemingly no repercussion for his attack. Frazier reveals to his colleagues that he intentionally tried to provoke Russell, but as Russell did not harm him, he believes that Russell is not a killer.

Soon after, the robbers call and direct the police to point their cameras to a specific window on the second floor, where they show the execution of one of the hostages. An enraged Frazier confronts Russell again, demanding to know their true intentions. Russell simply replies that Frazier is "too damn smart to be a cop" and closes the door on him.

The hostage execution prompts the ESU team into action, and they plan to raid the building, intending to use rubber bullets to knock everyone out. Frazier, however, realizes that the written message Russell sent out has a transmitter inside it. He orders Captain Darius, in command of police on the scene, to recall his men, but Darius ignores him.

Inside the bank, Russell hears the conversation between Darius and Frazier and is alarmed that the police plan to move in. The robbers detonate smoke bombs throughout the bank and release the hostages, leading to a horde of identically dressed people exiting through the smoke, in a mass of confusion. The police detain and interrogate everyone, however, due to the robbers earlier pretence in the bank, Frazier is unable to identify any of them, even Russell, who is missing. No money has been stolen and no people killed or seriously injured, the hostage execution having been faked. Even the weapons left behind were merely toy replicas, leaving it as if the incident never occurred, prompting Frazier's boss to bury the case.

Frazier however keeps looking through the bank's records and finds that safe deposit box #392 never appeared on any records since the bank's founding. He obtains a search warrant from a judge to open it. He is then confronted by White, who informs him of Case's dealings with the Nazis. She also tries to convince Frazier to drop his investigation, reminding him that she has held up her end of her deal with him (guaranteeing he would be promoted, and returning money he was implicated in stealing prior to the events of the movie). He refuses again, and points out there was no deal that he agreed to, and using a James Bond-style recording pen to replay the conversation.

White confronts Case about dealings with the Nazis, in which he confesses everything to her. He also reveals that the safe contained diamonds, including a Cartier ring, belonging to a Jewish friend whom he allowed to die at the hands of the Nazis in exchange for money. He is remorseful for what he did, and had thus led a life of philanthropy and humanitarianism to try to assuage his guilt.

It is then revealed that Russell hid himself behind a fake wall erected inside the supply room (literally, the "inside man"), where he was narrating from the beginning of the movie. He emerges a week after the "robbery" was committed, deliberately bumping into Frazier (who does not recognize him) along the way. Russell is picked up by his associates, and is presumably never caught. Russell's associates ask him for the ring, and Russell reveals it is in good hands, namely Frazier's.

Frazier opens the safe deposit box to find the Cartier ring and a message, "Follow the ring." He confronts Case, informing him of his desire to investigate the ring. He then finds White telling her that the ring was linked to Case's past. He offers White the pen with the recording, and gives her a card to have the Office of War Crimes Issues at the U.S. State Department look into the situation.

After his final encounter with White, Frazier goes home and finds a diamond in his pocket, realising that that it must have been put there by the man he bumped into in the bank. As the movie ends, it is implied that Frazier will use the diamond to propose to his girlfriend.

Production

The entire movie was filmed in 39 days, and Jodie Foster filmed her entire role in only three weeks. Originally Ron Howard was to direct the movie, but he backed out to do Cinderella Man. Spike Lee, a native New Yorker, was happy to direct a New York-based movie.[2]

Featured cast

Filming locations

Much of the filming of Inside Man was done in Lower Manhattan at or near 20 Exchange Place, off William Street and Wall Street and just blocks from the New York Stock Exchange and South Street Seaport. Over three-quarters of the film's stage work was completed in New York City, making the production eligible for the city's "Made in New York" incentives program.[3]

Reviews

Inside Man earned acclaim from several well-known critics. On Rottentomatoes.com, it currently stands with an 87% rating, making it "Certified Fresh".

It was named one of the 10 best films of 2006 by the American Film Institute.

Director Kevin Smith listed Inside Man on his Top Ten List of 2006.

Soundtrack

Inside Man
Inside Man cover
Film score by Terence Blanchard
Released May 21, 2006
Length 56:16
Label Varese Sarabande
Professional reviews

Inside Man is the film score to the 2006 movie of the same name. It was composed by American jazz musician and composer, Terence Blanchard and Howard Drossin

Track listing

  1. Ten Thirty (1:58)
  2. Thrown a Bone (2:36)
  3. Steve Switcheroo (1:35)
  4. Dalton's World (0:45)
  5. 357 (0:58)
  6. 392 (1:39)
  7. 2nd Floor Window (0:46)
  8. Defend Brooklyn (1:17)
  9. Food Chain (1:11)
  10. Above Your Pay Grade (1:27)
  11. Everything Hunky Dory (1:29)
  12. Frazier's Tour (4:52)
  13. Press Here to Play (1:41)
  14. Nothing Yet (2:06)
  15. Demands In Place (1:00)
  16. Here Lies Peter Hammond (2:34)
  17. Nazis Pay Too Well (3:54)
  18. Nice Talking to You (1:18)
  19. They Bugged Us (1:45)
  20. Hostage Takedown (2:49)
  21. Dr. Phil (1:12)
  22. Photo Ops (2:00)
  23. ESU Search (1:26)
  24. Dalton's Cell (1:11)
  25. Follow the Ring (4:17)
  26. Good and Ready (2:20)
  27. Chaiyya Chaiyya# (6:10)
#composed by A. R. Rahman, sung by Sukhwinder Singh and Sapna Avasthi

Box office

As of December 21, 2006, the film has grossed a total of US$88,513,495 in the United States and US$183,960,186 Worldwide.[9] Inside Man was Spike Lee's most financially successful movie, and it led to many offers for the director to make more bank heist films.[10]

Inside Man 2

Spike Lee and Brian Grazer are developing a sequel to "Inside Man". Russell Gewirtz, the original writer, is not returning to write the script. It will be written by the director of Hotel Rwanda, Terry George. It has been confirmed that Denzel Washington and Clive Owen will return to portray their characters, but there is no word on whether Jodie Foster will appear.

In popular culture

The Lil Wayne music video of his 2008 single Got Money featuring T-Pain and Young Money artist Mack Maine is based on this movie. Lil Wayne, Birdman, T-Pain and Mack Maine are robbing a bank and try to escape by all dressing up as painters, like in the movie. Eventually Lil Wayne, Mack Maine and T-Pain get caught, but Birdman is left to save them, like Clive Owen's character.

References

  1. ^ Inside Man (2006) - Memorable quotes
  2. ^ Inside Man (2006) - Trivia
  3. ^ "The Made in New York Incentive Program". Retrieved on 2006-10-04.
  4. ^ "Inside Man". allmovie.com.
  5. ^ "Inside Man". Empire. Retrieved on 2007-06-04.
  6. ^ "Inside Man".
  7. ^ "Inside Man".
  8. ^ "Inside Man".
  9. ^ Box Office Mojo
  10. ^ Collis, Clark. "Fall Movie Summer Preview, September: Miracle at St. Anna." Entertainment Weekly, Iss. #1007/1008, August 22/29, 2008, pg. 42-45.

External links

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to:


Preceded by
V for Vendetta		 Box office number-one films of 2006 (USA)
March 26, 2006		 Succeeded by
Ice Age: The Meltdown
v • d • e
Films directed by Spike Lee
1980s
1990s
2000s
© jGames.co.uk 2007 (some content from Wikipedia under GDL ) !-- ValueClick Media 468x60 and 728x90 Banner CODE for jgames.co.uk -->
Your Ad Here