Official Movie Website Theatrical Release 03/24/06 Home Video 08/08/06 MPAA Rating Rated R for language and some violent images Running Time 2 hours 9 minutes Genre Suspense, Drama, Crime Director Spike Lee Writer Russell Gewirtz, Menno Meyjes Cast Denzel Washington, Clive Owen, Jodie Foster, Willem Dafoe, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Christopher Plummer, Peter Gerety, Peter Frechette, Jason Manuel Olazabal, Darryl Mitchell, Ashlie Atkinson Studio Universal Pictures |
INSIDE MAN
SYNOPSIS
It all starts out simply enough: four people dressed in
painters' outfits march into the busy lobby of
Manhattan Trust, a cornerstone Wall Street branch of
a worldwide financial institution. Within seconds, the
costumed robbers place the bank under a surgically
planned siege, and the 50 patrons and staff become
unwitting pawns in an airtight heist.
NYPD hostage negotiators Detectives Keith Frazier
(Denzel Washington) and Bill Mitchell (CHIWETEL
EJIOFOR) are dispatched to the scene with orders to
establish contact with the heist's ringleader, Dalton
Russell (Clive Owen), and ensure safe release of the
hostages. Working alongside Emergency Services
Unit (ESU) Captain John Darius (WILLEM DAFOE), all
are hopeful that the situation can be peacefully
diffused and that control of the bank and release of
those inside can be secured in short order.
But things don't progress as planned. Russell proves
an unexpectedly canny opponent—clever, calm and
totally in command—a puppet master with a
meticulous plan to disorient and confuse not only the
hostages, but also the authorities. Outside, the crowd
of New Yorkers grows as the situation becomes
increasingly tense, with Frazier's superiors becoming
more concerned about his ability to keep the standoff
from spiraling out of control.
It all starts out simply enough: four people dressed in
painters' outfits march into the busy lobby of
Manhattan Trust, a cornerstone Wall Street branch of
a worldwide financial institution. Within seconds, the
costumed robbers place the bank under a surgically
planned siege, and the 50 patrons and staff become
unwitting pawns in an airtight heist.
NYPD hostage negotiators Detectives Keith Frazier
(Denzel Washington) and Bill Mitchell (CHIWETEL
EJIOFOR) are dispatched to the scene with orders to
establish contact with the heist's ringleader, Dalton
Russell (Clive Owen), and ensure safe release of the
hostages. Working alongside Emergency Services
Unit (ESU) Captain John Darius (WILLEM DAFOE), all
are hopeful that the situation can be peacefully
diffused and that control of the bank and release of
those inside can be secured in short order.
But things don't progress as planned. Russell proves
an unexpectedly canny opponent—clever, calm and
totally in command—a puppet master with a
meticulous plan to disorient and confuse not only the
hostages, but also the authorities. Outside, the crowd
of New Yorkers grows as the situation becomes
increasingly tense, with Frazier's superiors becoming
more concerned about his ability to keep the standoff
from spiraling out of control.
The robbers appear to consistently be one step ahead of the police, outwitting Frazier and Mitchell at every
turn. Frazier's suspicions that more is at work than anyone perceives are justified with the entry of
Madeline White (Jodie Foster), a power player with shadowy objectives, who requests a private meeting
with Russell. The chairman of the bank's board of directors, controlling entrepreneur Arthur Case
(CHRISTOPHER PLUMMER), is also uniquely interested in the moment-to-moment happenings inside the
branch.
But just what are the robbers after? Why has nothing worked to alleviate the standoff, which stretches on
hour after hour? Frazier is convinced that invisible strings are being pulled and secret negotiations are
taking place as the powder keg situation grows more unstable by the moment. With loyalties and motives
called into question, the detective engages in a risky game of cat-and-mouse—but with the rules of the
game ever changing, one wrong move may take the volatile match closer to a disastrous and deadly
conclusion.
--© Universal Pictures
turn. Frazier's suspicions that more is at work than anyone perceives are justified with the entry of
Madeline White (Jodie Foster), a power player with shadowy objectives, who requests a private meeting
with Russell. The chairman of the bank's board of directors, controlling entrepreneur Arthur Case
(CHRISTOPHER PLUMMER), is also uniquely interested in the moment-to-moment happenings inside the
branch.
But just what are the robbers after? Why has nothing worked to alleviate the standoff, which stretches on
hour after hour? Frazier is convinced that invisible strings are being pulled and secret negotiations are
taking place as the powder keg situation grows more unstable by the moment. With loyalties and motives
called into question, the detective engages in a risky game of cat-and-mouse—but with the rules of the
game ever changing, one wrong move may take the volatile match closer to a disastrous and deadly
conclusion.
--© Universal Pictures
BRENDA AND DAVID
Dalton Russell (Clive Owen) and his gang, Steve (Carlos Andres Gomez), Stevie (Kim Director), and
Steve-O (James Ransone) hold up a Manhattan bank taking several dozen hostages. Dalton has set up
what appears to be the perfect bank heist but shows more interest in the contents of one safety deposit
box than in the cash. He has all the hostages strip down into their underwear and then orders them to put
on jumpsuits and mask identical to the bank robbers. Now you can't tell the bank robbers from the
hostages. The hostage negotiator, Keith Frazier (Denzel Washington) and his partner, Detective Bill
Mitchell (Chiwetel Ejiofor), are brought in to convince Dalton into releasing the hostages and turning
themselves in. The bank's owner, Arthur Case (Christopher Plummer) is deparate to keep the contents of
the safety deposit box a secret so he hires Madeline White (Jodie Foster) to negotiate with the robbers to
keep the contents out of the hands of the police. Inside Man has reunited Director Spike Lee with his
Malcolm X, She's Got Game and Mo' Better Blues star Denzel Washington. Definitely worth the price of
admission to see it on the big screen.
Dalton Russell (Clive Owen) and his gang, Steve (Carlos Andres Gomez), Stevie (Kim Director), and
Steve-O (James Ransone) hold up a Manhattan bank taking several dozen hostages. Dalton has set up
what appears to be the perfect bank heist but shows more interest in the contents of one safety deposit
box than in the cash. He has all the hostages strip down into their underwear and then orders them to put
on jumpsuits and mask identical to the bank robbers. Now you can't tell the bank robbers from the
hostages. The hostage negotiator, Keith Frazier (Denzel Washington) and his partner, Detective Bill
Mitchell (Chiwetel Ejiofor), are brought in to convince Dalton into releasing the hostages and turning
themselves in. The bank's owner, Arthur Case (Christopher Plummer) is deparate to keep the contents of
the safety deposit box a secret so he hires Madeline White (Jodie Foster) to negotiate with the robbers to
keep the contents out of the hands of the police. Inside Man has reunited Director Spike Lee with his
Malcolm X, She's Got Game and Mo' Better Blues star Denzel Washington. Definitely worth the price of
admission to see it on the big screen.
© 2003 St. Louis Movie Review Weekly. All rights reserved, except where indicated.
All movie titles, pictures, etc...are the property of their respective studios.
All movie titles, pictures, etc...are the property of their respective studios.
| ST. LOUIS MOVIE REVIEW WEEKLY |
