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Inside Man (DVD)
Directed by Spike Lee
Rated PG-13

Inside Man is Spike Lee's most mainstream movie to date, but the marvelous thing is he didn't sell out in the process. Even with its mega-powered stars and Hollywood-slick story, Inside Man is still most definitely a "Spike Lee Joint" made in New York.

Hamlet's Rub

Unlike the typical bank heist flick, Inside Man isn't about the money. Indeed, instead of representing the embodiment of dreams come true, at one point the bank's bricks of bills are casually used as impromptu stools while the perps strategically await their next move. Part of the fun, then, is to figure out the true motivation behind Dalton Russell's assault on Manhattan Trust.

Dalton (Clive Owen, Sin City) starts off by explaining directly to the camera the Who, What, Where, When, and Why of his mission. The How? Well, there's the rub, he says.

Disguised as painters, Dalton and his gang raid the bank, lock the doors, and take 50 employees and customers hostage. Dalton's plan is to get what he came for then walk right out the front door, regardless of the swarm of New York's finest that have barricaded the entire block surrounding the bank.

What exactly is going on is a mystery through much of the movie – and the less a viewer knows about the storyline going in, the better. It's a puzzle that, buoyed by an impeccable cast and Spike Lee doing what he does best, makes for a highly entertaining drama.

Amid its scenes of cultural and economic differences, clashes, and tensions, Inside Man offers a nice, simple tidbit of truth that resounds in light of the main characters and their individual stories: Respect is the only currency.

Manhattan Trust

Lee, working with a taut screenplay by first-timer Russell Gewirtz (also a New Yorker), takes full advantage of his beloved New York City and its denizens, in the process serving up a microcosm of life in the post-9/11 Big Apple. There are several million stories in New York these days and Inside Man features a few of the more compelling ones, all fleshed out by a top-notch cast.

Concurrent with Dalton's mysterious bank invasion, Detective Keith Frazier (Denzel Washington, The Hurricane) is facing charges of involvement with a $140,000 check-cashing scam. He's also got his dream woman at home and she's hot to trot for a wedding ring. In fear of losing his job as well as being fearful of commitment and its financial implications, Keith leaps at the opportunity to get out from behind his desk and crack the bank heist.

Then there's Arthur Case (Christopher Plummer, Syriana), the founder of Manhattan Trust. He sold his soul to get to his rarefied lot in life, and he's been trying to buy his soul back ever since. Naturally, Arthur's concerned about his bank and the safety of his employees. But he's also — more importantly — concerned about his own well-being and his private stash in the bank's vault.

Arthur enlists the services of Madeline White (Jodie Foster, Flightplan), a "power broker" in every sense of the term, to assist in mitigating the damage done by the heist.

Gold Digger

Technically speaking, Inside Man is superb. Lee flexes his cinematic muscle while methodically, steadily revealing the story's nuances. Flash forward interviews between the hostages and the detectives as they attempt to piece together the fineries of what transpired are filmed in dull tones while present tense scenes are in glorious full color.

Then there's the humor. From Kanye West's Gold Digger ringtone at an inopportune moment to several scenes of cultural diversity tinged with nervous humor, one doesn't have to wait long before being reminded this is a Spike Lee Joint.

And the ending. Ah. The ending! It's the kind that doesn't happen very often; the audience gets to entertain for themselves the ultimate fate of the key characters. Yes. There are decisions to be made even after the end credits start to roll.

Inside Man is the kind of movie that keeps percolating well after the experience of watching the movie ends. In retrospect, the title, which at first blush seems generic, takes on a double meaning. After all, at its core, the movie is about what's inside the hearts, minds, and souls of the men named Dalton, Keith, and Arthur.

DVD Extras

Inside Man is a single-disc DVD that comes packed with a trove of worthwhile supplemental features.

At the top of the list is Spike Lee's running commentary. It was recorded on his 49th birthday, which also happened to be the day of the film's premiere, so this commentary was recorded while the movie was still fresh in his mind. It's surprisingly entertaining, with a story about meeting Willem Dafoe at the urinal of a Broadway theatre (where Denzel Washington was performing in Julius Caesar); giving a warning to listeners to not mention The Sound of Music in front of Christopher Plummer; but most excellent were his comments on the fairly controversial videogame scene in the vault. Spike lets it rip like only Spike can as he rails against the dangerously stupid concept of "get rich or die tryin'." Plus, he points out a couple very cool references to Dog Day Afternoon.

There are also 25 minutes of deleted scenes. The best is a massive 17-minute edit that retools the various interrogations; there's some good stuff to be had here. There are also four minutes of breaking news stories from the TV news coverage contained within the movie. Those scenes are presented in the standard TV format of 1.33:1. Very clever.

Another goody is a featurette called Number 4, which showcases Denzel and Spike in a robust 10-minute conversation. Aside from one jarring question from an off-screen, third-party interviewer, it's just the two of ‘em yackin' away. (Inside Man, by the way, is the fourth movie the two have made together. The others were He Got Game; Malcolm X, and Mo' Better Blues.)

Polishing off the disc is a fairly standard 10-minute behind the scenes documentary, The Making of Inside Man.

Picture and Sound

The disc features an excellent in anamorphic widescreen picture in 2.35:1.

The 5.1 Dolby Digital soundtrack is also well done and available in English, Spanish, and French. A Descriptive Video Service track is also available.

Also on hand are English subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing as well as Spanish and French subtitles.

How to Use This DVD

Start with the movie itself then check out the deleted scenes. It's a rarity when the deleted scenes are worthwhile but, particularly with the extended cut of the interrogation scenes, this is one of those cases.

Next, go to the Spike Lee commentary, it's a hoot. Spike was having a good time recording the commentary and his enthusiasm and attitude are contagious.

After listening to Spike off screen, then go to the Number 4 featurette for Spike and Denzel's onscreen co-interview. Since it's only 10 minutes long, polish off the disc with the "making of" featurette.

• Originally published at MovieHabit.com.