Heather swears that someone in Hollywood reads our board. I'd have to agree with her. Morgan Wahl - "The Berlin Wall" - head of the L.A. Branch of Wolfram and Hart played by Jodie Foster is in many ways the same character Ms. Foster plays in "The Inside Man". Strong, strong-willed, supremely confident and (as one person describes her) a "magnificent cunt."
But that isn't what made me watch this movie.
Denzel Washington plays another of his memorable roles as a cop. It would seem that Mr. Washington has been typecast as a policeman of exceptional caliber. It is clear to see why. He plays them so very very well. This is a cop you will like, trust, cheer for and feel for. But he isn't why I watched this movie either.
Chiwetel Ejiofor played the Operative in Serenity and he is a wonderfully expressive actor who really becomes his parts. It is a shame he fades into the background with so many great actors on the screen with him. Christopher Plummer brought a lot of sublety to a role that could easily have been cartoonish or insincere and it wasn't. Even Willem Defoe was good as a cop "doing his job" in a situation that didn't make sense from the first second.
And none of them were why I wanted to see the film. The factor that clinched it for me was it was directed by Spike Lee.
Spike Lee is a director that everyone knows of (or has at least heard of) and they might be dimly aware that he directed films such as Malcom X, and She's Gotta Have It, Summer of Sam and others. But have they watched them? They might have seen some films of his but not really been aware of it was "a Spike Lee joint." Mr. Lee can direct a film that is emotionally, intellectually, and morally supercharged. He does it on purpose. He does it becasue that is his particular genious and vision.
Spike Lee's films are masterworks precicely becasue they are supercharged. And they don't spoon-feed easy answers on right or wrong. They don't give you a pre-digested world view and beat you with a damp fish to make you buy into it. Instead they lay it out and let you decide. I am glad that he has done this film. It is high-profile and more approachable than many of his other films which means that a broader audience will come to appreciate the genius of Spike Lee.
I guarantee that if you watch The Inside Man you will be thrilled, intellectually stimulated and challenged morally to consider the characters. Who is good? Who is bad? Who won? Who lost? See the film and then come back and ask yourself these questions and see if you don't surprise yourself with your answers.
- Login to post comments
Post to Twitter
