I was as surprised as the next man when I first saw the trailer for Inside Man. Spike don't do genre flicks like that, I thought to myself. A bank robbery plot? Hardly subversive.
Going into the theatre earlier tonight I was a little nervous for Spike, being that this film had the potential to either certify or soil his rep, at the same time curious to see what kind of swagger and attitude he could inject into the tired Hollywood suspense category.
I don't want to give away any spoilers, but let's just say that Spike's beef with Fiddy isn't relegated to print (peep the latest Complex mag if you don't know what beef I'm talking about).
In short- Inside Man is definitely worth the price of admission. A certified Spike Lee joint.
I totally agree. It had the typical "suspense" plot, but it was a refreshingly watchable movie. Unlike "She Hate Me", and a few of Spike's other recent films.
The only thing I didn't like was the heavy-handed score. It sounded like Terence Blanchard just made a tape of the score from "The 25th Hour" and used it again for this film. The score was very distracting...
Posted by: dParker2.0 | 2006.03.26 at 11:34 AM
It also looks like this will be Spike's first hit since the days of X. Unless I'm forgetting something.
Posted by: Bol | 2006.03.26 at 02:49 PM
Oh, it's a Spike Lee Joint, all right -- Italians and cops are made to look like shit.
Posted by: Joe Grossberg | 2006.03.26 at 06:07 PM
I am curious to see Inside Man as well. For years Spike painted himself into a self defined genre and it seems like this is also his way of say he does want that anymore. I dunno...
Posted by: da critic himself | 2006.03.26 at 09:21 PM
>Oh, it's a Spike Lee Joint, all right -- Italians and cops are made to look like shit.
Um, I don't know how to say this...
Posted by: Bol | 2006.03.27 at 06:32 AM
How to say what?
That it's OK for Spike to whine about when his own folks are dissed ... but when it comes to portraying, say, Italians (Inside Man, Do the Right Thing) or gays (The Original Kings of Comedy), he can freely stereotype?
You can write plenty about how Toure' is Kevin Powell [sic], but you are at a loss for words now?
Posted by: josephgrossberg | 2006.03.27 at 04:18 PM
It happens to the best of them.
Posted by: Bol | 2006.03.27 at 09:43 PM
Haha, fair enough. I once wrote a post mentioning the Nashville Grizzlies and Indianapolis Pacers.
What were you saying about Spike Lee, though?
Posted by: Joe Grossberg | 2006.03.27 at 09:58 PM
I believe you were saying that Spike Lee tends to portray Italians and cops in a negative light, and I was going to add that neither of them are generally regarded as being among our finer groups to begin with.
Posted by: Bol | 2006.03.28 at 03:08 PM
I'm sorry you're bigoted towards Italians, but I admire your candor.
Posted by: Joe Grossberg | 2006.03.28 at 04:09 PM
Actually, living in the sticks, it's the rare occasion that I deal with any kind of ethnic white people.
I was saying that's their reputation.
Posted by: Bol | 2006.03.28 at 04:41 PM
Oh, it's a Spike Lee Joint, all right -- Italians and cops are made to look like shit.
That's odd, because I don't really remember seeing any characters who were "noticeably" or obviously Italian. There were plenty of Jewish characters, though.
And I didn't see any negative portrayal of the cops, either.
Granted, Spike Lee does typically pander to stereotypes, but that was very minimal in this film. I hope you do know that Spike was NOT the screenwriter for this movie? He was the director. (That's probably why it was such a "watchable" film).
Posted by: dParker2.0 | 2006.03.29 at 12:58 PM
I understand Spike is doing a dcoumentary on Katrina. I need to tell him something about the gulf port veterans who were rescued by the federal government and brought to Washington right after the storm hit. Does anyone know how I can get this message to him.
Posted by: Sharon | 2006.04.06 at 03:55 PM