Regal goes English with 'Inside Man'

After a long break, Regal, Colombo the oldest cinema in town has released an English movie ‘Inside Man’. The main Sinhala cinema in the Ceylon Theatres circuit released its last English movie in the year 2000.

Imported by Liberty Cinemas Ltd, the film directed by Spike Lee ‘Inside Man’ is the story of a tough cop, Detective Frazier who matches wits with a clever bank robber.

Famed for his comedies, dramas, a musical, a concert, documentaries and a police drama, Spike Lee in his latest venture has tackled the traditional heist picture-centred on a Manhattan bank under siege and chockfull of homages to Dog Day Afternoon-and proved his mettle there as well. In 'Inside Man' Lee, a famously independent filmmaker has chosen to work with Academy award winning Hollywood producer Brian Grazer.

Four people dressed in painters' outfits march into the busy lobby of Manhattan Trust, a cornerstone Wall Street Branch of a worldwide financial institution. Within seconds, the costumed robbers place the bank under a surgically planned siege, and the 50 patrons and staff become unwitting pawns in an airtight heist.

NYPD hostage negotiators Detectives Keith Frazier and Bill Mitchell are dispatched to the scene with orders to establish contact with the heist's ringleader, Dalton Russell, and ensure safe release of the hostages. Working alongside Emergency Services Unit (ESU) Captain John Darius, all are hopeful that the situation can be peacefully diffused and that control of the bank and release of those inside can be secured in short order. But Russell proves an unexpectedly canny opponent--clever, calm and totally in command--a puppet master with a meticulous plan to disorient and confuse not only the hostages, but also the authorities.

Outside, the crowd of New Yorkers grows as the situation becomes increasingly tense, with Frazier's superiors becoming more concerned about his ability to keep the standoff from spiralling out of control.

The robbers appear to consistently be one step ahead of the police, outwitting Frazier and Mitchell at every turn.
Frazier's suspicions that more is at work than anyone perceives are justified with the entry of Madeline White, a power player with shadowy objectives, who requests a private meeting with Russell.

The chairman of the bank's board of directors, controlling entrepreneur Arthur Case, is also uniquely interested in the moment-to-moment happenings inside the branch. But just what are the robbers after? Why has nothing worked to alleviate the standoff, which stretches on hour after hour? Frazier is convinced that invisible strings are being pulled and secret negotiations are taking place as the powder keg situation grows more unstable by the moment.

In a somewhat strange but some interesting combination the Hollywood blockbuster movie opens with "Chaiyya Chaiyya", an Indian song composed by Indian musician 'A.R Rahman'. The music director Terence Blanchard has used the song in the Bollywood hit 'Dil Se' directed by Mani Ratnam at the beginning as well as during the ending credits.

‘Inside Man’ stars Denzel Washington, Clive Owen, Jodie Foster and Christopher Plummer in lead roles.
Released in March by Universal Pictures ‘Inside Man' was filmed in New York in 39 days.