Confidence Man

Inside Man
(Spike Lee, 2006)

Russell Gewirtz’ screenplay isn’t nearly as smart as it thinks it is. While entertaining throughout, it falls into a trap of devices and chicanery -- particularly in the third act. The script fails to rise above its faults and reach the level of Spike Lee’s ambitious direction. With the film, Lee observes the post-9/11 terrain bluntly. The film -- at times quietly, while other times, not so quietly -- addresses issues of class, race, and gender. He utilizes his eye for urban authenticity and his bold sense of flare.

The best performance of the film comes from the person whose face we see the least, Clive Owen. He’s cold, he’s conniving, he is, as always, at the top of his game. While Denzel gets a passing grade, I must say, I was expecting more from him. He is clearly outdone by a man whom is masked throughout most of the film.

I’m still trying to figure out exactly what Jodie Foster was thinking when she signed on to play this poor, one-dimensional character whose definition and identity is never convincingly elaborated upon. The entire arc involving her character and that of Christopher Plummer -- who never quite settles into his awkwardly-written character -- just never evolves into anything more than muddle.

For me, the film draws obvious comparisons to The Usual Suspects. From Dalton’s cat-and-mouse game, to the way the film tries to intricately devolve into a Suspects-like ending. It doesn’t succeed in that endeavor. The final act -- the “twist,” if you will -- is anti-climactic. It isn’t necessarily poor, but the buildup (and buildup, and buildup) leading up to it raises your expectations far too high. You almost begin to expect Denzel’s character to drop his coffee cup as he begins to realize who Keyser Soze is.

Technically, Terence Blanchard's bombastic score is a joy to listen to, while Spike returns to his dolly shot that he likes so much. The shot isn’t necessary, but it isn’t out of place either.

My mini-review may be selling the film a bit short. I’m a few weeks removed from seeing it, so forgive me. I may have spotlighted its imperfections over the areas in which it excels, but I think that that is a credit to the efforts of Spike Lee, et al. Even with the script’s hindrances, the film overcomes those obstacles to evolve into quite a fine film. As I mentioned before, it can frustrate you. Gewirtz’ script didn’t need to be as awkward as it is. Maybe a couple of rewrites and you have an all-around triumph.

Spike Lee leads the way with his aggressive approach, and is aided by a couple of strong performances. While it may not bring anything considerably new or inventive into the heist genre, it’s one solid entry. Flawed, but completely tolerable. It’s certainly one of the best cinematic outings of the past few months.

B


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Directed by Spike Lee; written by Russell Gewirtz; produced by Brian Glazer, Jonathan Filley; original music by Terence Blanchard; cinematography by Matthew Libatique; editing by Barry Alexander Brown; released by Universal Pictures. Running time 128 mins. Rated R for language and some violent images. Released March 24th, 2006.

Starring Denzel Washington (Detective Keith Frazier), Clive Owen (Dalton Russell), Jodie Foster (Madeline White), Christopher Plummer (Arthur Case), Willem Dafoe (Captain John Darius), Chiwetel Ejiofor (Detective Bill Mitchell).

posted by Shawn Snead @ 4/16/2006 11:31:00 PM