It was my first impression of Inside Man. The Hindu music gave me an ancient and exotic feeling. The music and the visual images of New York City buildings clicked. It was my first time to listen to a Hindu music. Quite enjoyable.
The movie was kicked off by Dalton Russell's talk (Dalton was played by Clive Owen). Dalton mentioned the difference between a cell and a prison. This talk was essential. If you miss this talk, then you will miss an important hint. So, listen to it carefully. We did not pay much attention to it. After the movie ended, we rewired it to the beginning and played it. All of us had a "that's why" thought.
We saw a bank was robbed by a group of painters. These painters collected electronic devices (reasonable). I thought the robbery would be similar to others. I was wrong. These painters asked hostage to take off all their clothes (not for sexual reasons) and re-dress up like them (so you barely recognize who is hostage and who is not). This step was intelligent. I never thought about that.
Denzel Washington in this movie was a street-smart detective Keith Frazier. Keith was asked to handle this case. Keith was informed by a local officer who passed by the bank at the very beginning of the robbery that if anyone approached the door, two dead bodies would be thrown out of the bank. Keith would not allow this situation to happen. But, how to get robbers and hostage info? He put devices in Pizza and tried to hear something. What he and other cops heard was the talk from a former Albania president in Albanian. This plan did not work.
The scene went to Arthur Case's office. Arthur Case (played by Christopher Plummer), the founder of the bank, seemed to have a secret hidden in this bank. So Arthur approached Madeleine and wanted her to get his secret out to avoid his secret getting exposed to the public. Madeleine White (played by Jodie Foster) was an expert in pursuing people to do things. Madeleine appeared to have quite high level connections. So she could obtain the privilege to enter the bank. She entered the bank with a NYPD jacket and talked to Dalton, who revealed Arthur's secret. Dalton shows Madeleine (not the audience) a document from the safety deposit box. This safety deposit was the one that Arthur requested Madeleine to approach. Based on Dalton's talk, you knew that Arthur Case, the chairman of the board of directors and founder of the bank, had somehow received money from the Nazis during World War II for unspecified services that resulted in Jewish deaths. We learned Arthur earned enough to start the bank where the hostage has occurred.
Keith did not know the secret. What he wanted was the safety of the hostage. The device plan mentioned above did not work. He then played the game baldly. He walked in the bank. Through the main entrance. Dalton was next to him all the time. Keith saw all hostage. Keith saw the vault was open. But nothing apparently was moved out from the vault. He talked to Dalton. He tried to piss Dalton off. He almost got Dalton (but another painter discovered it and stopped it). The scene between Dalton and Keith was a good one.
Keith gradually discovered that the robbers' goal was not money. Oh, then what the goal could be? Madeleine did not reveal Arthur's secret to Keith. After a well-planned hostage release, you saw how hard Keith tried to get Dalton. But Dalton was not there. How come? Then you saw a cell in the bank. Dalton was there.
The movie ended creatively. With nice projector and home theater sound system, the movie looked even better. Some interactions in the second half part help the audience understand the stories, the plots, and the secrets. All actors played well. The story was not plain or general. I expect to see another Spike Lee's movie.
