Spike Lees Inside Man is a cracking heist movie, pitting Denzel Washingtons smooth Detective (2nd Class) Keith Frazier against Clive Owens scheming bank robber Dalton Russell. Frazier needs a promotion so he can afford to get married, but has an internal investigation for corruption hanging over his head. However, with a bank robbery in progress, hes handed command of the active crime scene and all hostage negotiations. Meanwhile, the chairman of the bank has his own reasons for hiring a fixer to negotiate directly with Russell. Frazier allows her, a lone civilian, access to the bank and the robbers in exchange for a guarantee that the corruption charge will disappear and his promotion will get moved up. Hes completely blasé about the deal hes just made under the table in fact, even after being removed from the bank robbery case by his superiors. Lets not forget that we only have Fraziers word that the charges against him are a set-up, based on what he tells his partner and his girlfriend. Meanwhile, Russells elaborate scheme succeeds without a hitch, and the robbers completely get away with everything theyre after. Despite failing to stop the robbery, or even properly understand what they were after, Frazier manipulates his way out from under the axe that was descending upon his head and wriggles his way further up the greasy pole. When he finds Russell has slipped him one of the massive diamonds in his haul, he smiles: that rocks not going back to the bank vault, and everyone knows it. Detective (1st Class) Keith Frazier is going to get himself one serious engagement ring. Forget the good-cop-up-against-it act: despite what the film wants you to think, hes clearly dirty as hell and has been all along.
Professional writer, punk werewolf and nesting place for starfish. Obsessed with squid, spirals and story. I publish short weird fiction online at desincarne.com, and tweet nonsense under the name Jack The Bodiless. You can follow me all you like, just don't touch my stuff.
