jbird

To see or not to see, that is the question at hand. Inside Man is a modern day bank robbery movie involving more than just bad guys stealing some money. From the hostel take over to the smart ending, this movie speaks of the importance of truth, and respect in a persons words and actions. This is something rare for people of my generation, who could lend an open ear and an open mind to these ideas.

In this latest Spike Lee joint, we follow the stories between four main characters. The first being Clive Owen’s character Dalton Russell, the bank robber; Denzel Washington as Detective Keith Frazier; Jodie Foster as a money for hire consultant Madeline White; and Christopher Plummer as Arthur Case the bank owner. All of these people come together at some point through the simple fact that a few bank robbers dressed as painters decided to outsmart law enforcement.

“My name is Dalton Russell. Pay strict attention to what I say because I choose my words carefully and I never repeat myself. I’ve told you my name: that’s the Who. The Where could most readily be described as a prison cell. But there’s a vast difference between being stuck in a tiny cell and being in prison. The What is easy: recently I planned and set in motion events to execute the perfect bank robbery. That’s also the When. As for the Why: beyond the obvious financial motivation, it’s exceedingly simple… because I can. Which leaves us only with the How; and therein, as the Bard would tell us, lies the rub.” These simple words put in this order seem to grab your attention, probably because of how Dalton Russell tells you he will not repeat himself, that you are instantly hooked. The movie moves quickly between scenes with New York City as its beautiful backdrop, and music that is hip and leaves you with a fresh taste in your mouth.

Why wouldn’t anyone want to see this movie? It has an amazing cast playing complex characters, and because of the stories twists and turns you come to realize that maybe it is okay, morally speaking, to rob a bank if what your taking is proof of how terribly hypocritical a person is, especially an affluent community leader. Jodie Foster’s character is sent into the bank after she is summoned by Christopher Plummer’s character to make sure that something of his is not taken. She doesn’t know what it is, and that isn’t the point. She is in there to assure that the bank robbers leave it alone. Too bad for Arthur Case, the bank owner, his time as a respectably man in society is coming to a close.

Some might say that the movie has racial undertones. This is true, and is not necessarily a bad thing because it tries to point out some cultural differences. There is one scene where a cop tells Denzel Washington’s character about how he got shot one time trying to stop some “spicks” and “nig…” he never finished saying that word. But it sheds some light onto why some people are or might be bigoted. His reason to be mad is because he got shot at by some little kid. He does learn though and realize he needs to watch his “color commentary” but posses the statement “id rather be an old bigot, then a hansom young corps.”

“I’m no martyr. I did it for the money. But it’s not worth much if you can’t face yourself in the mirror. Respect is the ultimate currency. I was stealing from a man who traded his away for a few dollars. And then he tried to wash away his guilt. Drown it in a lifetime of good deeds and a sea of respectability. It almost worked, too. But inevitably, the further you run from your sins, the more exhausted you are when they catch up to you. And they do. Certain. It will not fail.” This is all said by Dalton Russell right after the last twist in the plot. Just as the police were about to rush the bank, all of the people in the bank, including the robbers, came out all wearing the same thing. The robbers planned this idea in advance, and had everyone blindfolded so that the cops cant tell who’s a hostage and who’s a robber. At the same time as this was all happening Dalton Russell was hiding on the inside behind a wall in a storage room in the bank that he and his accomplices had broke through and made a cell-like living quarters for him. He waited to walk out of the bank as if he was doing business there a week later. He didn’t take any of the banks money, only the diamonds and proof from Arthur Case (the bank owner) that he committed war crimes against Jews during the Holocaust. The movie concludes with a lesson to be learned. That important lesson deals with a persons sincerity and honesty in their actions and words. Proving that respect is something to be valued, and not it the way you respect your boss because you have to, but they way people respect their elders and clergy and mothers. This leaves a person with the question if committing a crime to prove the crimes of others is reprehensible?