It’s the 21st Century and it is no longer a simple case of Us versus Them, and black versus white. Political lines have become crisscrossed to the point of obscurity, and allegiances are as imaginary as the tooth fairy. The enemy now comes from within, it could be anyone, and they could strike at anytime. The battle is no longer one that is only fought with guns, bombs or violence in this world of high technology and illusion. Information and disinformation are at the disposal of those on both sides of the law, to be shuffled like a deck of marked cards by Svengali himself. In Inside Man, Spike Lee willfully embraces the changes of our new world and delivers a kind of neo-noir parable of racial distrust and conniving thievery set against a backdrop of political intrigue.
With this said, it must be mentioned that Inside Man is not an attempt to completely undo the heist genre, or offer a wham-bam revelation that leaves the audience speechless. It is simply an exercise in confidence from all involved. Much like recent Hong Kong efforts like Infernal Affairs, or Breaking News, Inside Man never tries to be something that it is not. It is not a film about racial intolerance disguised as a genre film. It is a genre film, pure and simple. Although, it is a genre film with smart bouts of real character interaction shedding light on he subtle and overt racial relationships that exist in a city like New York. Nothing about the film feels forced, a fact that exemplifies the confidence of the filmmakers like nothing else.
Every aspect of Inside Man is mesmerizing as we witness an expertly written narrative with dialog so poetic it rolls off the tongues of the characters. The players in this game are shuffled around by a director full of confidence who possesses an agenda not hindered by nearsightedness but elevated by brevity. There is nothing to be thrown away in this film, and as Clive Owen’s character states from the get-go, we must “pay very close attention.” His words are not just lines spoken in the world of the film, but words for us to live by. In our modern world, in a world of illusion and technological trickery, we really must pay very close attention if we are to survive as a society. What is a Sikh, what is a Muslim, what is a thief, what are we piping into the wired brains of our children, who is right and who is wrong and when do two wrongs make a right, are all questions asked – but the answers are not given.
Here Spike Lee works with a subtlety he often lacks and the message rings more truely than ever. While Lee usually pounds the audience over their heads with racial slurs and bigoted agendas against all nationalities, Inside Man has a more understated air about it. Sure there are the colorful racial metaphors slung about by the characters, and the off color remarks about race, but they feel more natural, and honestly, not as mean spirited. It is almost as if Lee has come to terms with how racism is depicted now, as his characters seem to brush it aside and tend to work for a common goal rather than get worked up over some idiot’s stupid and moronic remarks. The characters are secure in their positions, and it shows, as the dialog seems more playful – as a matter of fact, the entire film is rather playful, right down to the music used to underscore the film’s noirish roots. Even when dealing with serious situations, the narrative maintains a lighthearted feel about it, especially compared to most of Lee’s other work.
It its heart though, Inside Man is nothing more than an excellent neo-noir, and nowhere is this more apparent then in the wink-wink ending sequence. In an inspired choice for closure, the films ends on such a positive note, and in such a way that its genre trappings clearly shine through and one cannot help but to smile. After the heist has taken place, and the characters are free to once again live their lives, we find Detective Fraizer (Denzel Washington) at home with his woman, on a set that is clearly a stage. The background lights darken and all we can see is Washington, his girlfriend and a mirror – it is a shot straight out of the noir handbook. Washington takes off his fedora and expertly tosses it at his girl, where it gently lands on her seductively out stretched and bare foot. We half expect Washington to turn to the camera, wink, and in his best Bogart impersonation, say “here’s looking at you kid.” It is a wonderful moment, and a moment that clearly defines Lee’s ultimate intentions. Lee was not trying to make a mainstream film here – he did make a mainstream film, a damn good one, and one full of more confidence, intelligence, and heart than most.
