Inside Man

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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
Music by	Terence Blanchard
Cinematography	Matthew Libatique
Editing by	Barry Alexander Brown
Studio	Imagine Entertainment 40 Acres & A Mule Filmworks
Distributed by	Universal Pictures (USA) UIP (International)
Release date(s)	March 23, 2006
Running time	129 minutes
Language	English
Budget	$45,000,000
Gross revenue	$183,960,186

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 United States (and New York City in particular) post-September 11, 2001, 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 1 Plot 2 Cast 3 Production 4 Soundtrack 5 Reception 6 Possible sequel 7 References 8 External links

[edit] Plot

The film begins in media res with Dalton Russell (Clive Owen) narrating his plight in the confines of an undisclosed cell, musing about the difference between a cell and a prison. Shortly afterwards, he begins in narration to describe the "perfect" plan for a bank robbery.^[1]

In flashback, a group of robbers, dressed as painters and utilizing aliases under variants of the name "Steve", are led by Russell into a bank. The group promptly disables the security cameras before brandishing firearms and taking over the bank, moving customers and staff into the basement where they confiscate all cell phones, keys, and outer clothing. One of the bank employees (Peter Hammond) attempts a bluff but Russell sees through it and delivers him a beating. The robbers force all hostages to change into painter uniforms and cover their faces with kerchiefs, making them nearly indiscernible from the robbers. They then lock the hostages into several rooms, periodically rotating them and introducing the robbers, as their tasks are done, into the groups to further disorient the hostages.

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. Frazier starts to suspect that Russell may be attempting something else rather than just taking all of the money. He makes a call to Russell asking for more time to organise the plan but actually to find out what his plan really is. Russell decides to trust him and gives him a question that if answered right, gets the police more time. After it's solved successfully Russell asks for the cops to bring sandwiches, rather than pizza, to lessen the chances of bugging the containers. 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 bearing a swastika symbol, suggesting that Case received money, enough to found his bank, from the Nazis during World War II for unspecified services that resulted in Jewish deaths. Russell reveals his motivation, saying, "All lies they stink, you can cover them up for a while but they don't go away." 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 informs Russell that the plane he demanded is ready but he needs to know that all the hostages are safe before letting them leave. Russell allows him to enter the bank, and Frazier is given a tour of the building. As they check the hostages, 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 tells 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 a hostage. 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 incident 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 overhears 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, including Russell. No money was stolen and no people were killed or seriously injured, as the hostage execution was faked. 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 searching the bank's records and finds that safe deposit box #392 has never appeared on any records since the bank's founding in 1948. 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 his promotion, and returning money he was implicated in stealing prior to the events of the movie). He refuses, pointing out that he has not agreed to such a deal, and plays back their earlier conversation from a James Bond-style recording pen.

White confronts Case about his dealings with the Nazis, in which he confesses everything to her. She also correctly surmised that the safe must have contained diamonds that satisfied the criminal intentions; Case then specified 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 international philanthropy to try to assuage his guilt.

It is then revealed that Russell hid himself behind a fake wall erected inside the supply room by the multi-skilled thugs (literally making himself the "inside man"), where he was narrating the story at the beginning (and near end) of the movie. He emerges a week after the "robbery" was committed, deliberately bumping into Frazier (who does not recognize him) in the lobby. 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 intention to investigate the ring. He 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 for the Office of War Crimes Issues at the U.S. State Department, to request they look into the situation.

After his final encounter with White, Frazier goes home and finds a loose 1-carat diamond in his pocket, realizing that it must have been slipped in by the man he bumped into in the bank, realizing it must have been Russell. As the movie ends, it is implied that Frazier will use the diamond to propose to his girlfriend.

[edit] Cast

• Denzel Washington ... Detective Keith Frazier
• Clive Owen ... Dalton Russell
• Jodie Foster ... Madeleine White
• Christopher Plummer ... Arthur Case
• Willem Dafoe ... Captain John Darius
• Chiwetel Ejiofor ... Detective Bill Mitchell
• Carlos Andrés Gómez ... Steve Damerjian
• Kim Director ... Stevie, Valerie Keepsake
• James Ransone ... Steve-O
• Bernie Rachelle ... Chaim
• Peter Gerety ... Captain Coughlin
• Victor Colicchio ... Sergeant Collins
• Cassandra Freeman ... Sylvia
• Peter Frechette ... Peter Hammond
• Florina Petcu ... Ilina Miritia

[edit] Production

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]

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]

[edit] Soundtrack

Inside Man
Film score by Terence Blanchard
Released	May 21, 2006
Genre	Soundtracks Film scores
Length	56:16
Label	Varese Sarabande
Professional reviews
Allmusic link

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 with additional orchestration by soundtrack composer Howard Drossin.

Although not featured on the soundtrack album, the film prominently features a remix of the song "Chaiyya Chaiyya" (from the movie Dil Se), by A. R. Rahman with Panjabi MC called "Chaiyya Chaiyya Bollywood Joint".

Track listing

1. Chaiya Chaiya (6:44)
2. Ten Thirty (1:58)
3. Thrown a Bone (2:36)
4. Steve Switcheroo (1:35)
5. Dalton's World (0:45)
6. 357 (0:58)
7. 392 (1:39)
8. 2nd Floor Window (0:46)
9. Defend Brooklyn (1:17)
10. Food Chain (1:11)
11. Above Your Pay Grade (1:27)
12. Everything Hunky Dory (1:29)
13. Frazier's Tour (4:52)
14. Press Here to Play (1:41)
15. Nothing Yet (2:06)
16. Demands In Place (1:00)
17. Here Lies Peter Hammond (2:34)
18. Nazis Pay Too Well (3:54)
19. Nice Talking to You (1:18)
20. They Bugged Us (1:45)
21. Hostage Takedown (2:49)
22. Dr. Phil (1:12)
23. Photo Ops (2:00)
24. ESU Search (1:26)
25. Dalton's Cell (1:11)
26. Follow the Ring (4:17)
27. Good and Ready (2:20)

[edit] Reception

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

• Allmovie ^[4]
• Empire ^[5]
• Roger Ebert ^[6]
• Rolling Stone ^[7]
• Premiere ^[8]

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.

As of December 21, 2006, the film has grossed a total of US$88,513,495 in the United States box office 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]

[edit] Possible sequel

Spike Lee and Brian Grazer are developing a sequel to Inside Man, scheduled for release in 2010 ^[11]. Terry George, the screenwriter that wrote Hotel Rwanda, is currently writing the script. Spike Lee will reunite with the cast to direct the sequel. It has been confirmed that Denzel Washington and Clive Owen will return to portray their characters. It is unconfirmed if Jodie Foster's character will return in the sequel.^[12]

[edit] References

[edit] External links

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Inside Man

• Official website
• Inside Man at the Internet Movie Database
• Inside Man at Rotten Tomatoes
• Inside Man at Metacritic
• Inside Man soundtrack
• Inside Man Script (January 17, 2005 revision)

Preceded by V for Vendetta	Box office number-one films of 2006 (USA) March 26	Succeeded by Ice Age: The Meltdown
Preceded by The Pink Panther	Box office number-one films of 2006 (UK) March 26 - April 2

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