Inside Man (DVD, 2006, Anamorphic Widescreen)

Maybe its me but I dont feel complete after watching an open-ending movie; especially those movies where the end is left open for a sequel. Inside Man is clearly could be one of these movies, but Denzel in a sequel? Has Denzel ever done a sequel? If so, let me know the title so I can review it. The Inside Man overall has its good and bad characteristics, but its still a definite add to the DVD collection.

Since I am a long-term Denzel fan, I felt compelled to purchase The Inside Man when it was released - but I was kind of skeptical in buying it because of mixed reviews that I have read, not from professional critiques but from the general public. (See Yahoo and Rotten Tomatoes) Most say that it was an excellent action suspense movie, others say the opposite. What do I say?

I say that Denzel is always at his best in films because he bathes himself in not only the script but the character. I suppose that being from the East Coast gives him the advantage at playing a Northeastern slick-talking detective. Proof of this is shown in his performance in damn near all his classics - He Got Game, Malcolm X and Mo' Better Blues and oddly enough Training Day. What more to say, Denzel is the man, he proves it consistently.

Clive Owen on the other hand seems to have the same boring persona in many of his recent flicks - very relaxed, slow when speaking, almost as if his mind is always on another planet. (See Derailed, Sin City, The Rich Man's Wife) In Inside Man, he is all of the previously listed but at the same time very witty. Honestly, to rob a bank, you have to be, right? Somewhat, watch the movie for more details. To a degree I enjoyed his character.

Why exactly did they include Jodie Foster into the equation I am clueless on - maybe to balance the testosterone within the script is my guess. Her character really didnt provide much spice to the script, nor did it take anything away. Maybe she was added to the list of high paid actors to boost the "I want to see that" ratings among movie goers. The DVD cover states that she is a "...broker with an agenda" but when you watch the movie, the agenda doesnt do much to liven the film up. They could have done with out her character or boosted her agenda a few more notches.

From a director stand point - this wasnt a typical Spike Lee film. The only thing typical that can be singled out is the infamous "floating" scene that Spike incorporates in all his films. But outside of that this was a typical cop movie that had little action to keep you awake, and more events that force you to think (or possibly fall asleep). Dont get me wrong, I love a movie that causes one to think, but only to a certain degree in cop movies. I mean c'mon, even CSI balances out the science from the blood spilled - so I would think a multi-million dollar film would do the same. All things considered, Lee did a good job at stepping out of the box in this film and should be respected regardless.

In the end - there really is no closure, Denzel's character realizes that he has something in his possession that keeps him linked to the man he was chasing (Clive Owen), thus the open ending comment from earlier. Sequel? Very much a possibility, but I will more than likely not watch this one on opening night either. For Denzel fan's, despite mixed reviews, add this one to your collection as he is always great, but if you are looking for a lot of gun fire and action - dont look for The Inside Man to satisfy your adventure needs.