Inside Man

This is a very smart movie. I love the formula. A great script. Big names clearly having a good time doing their jobs. Set with classic New York characters. All on top of a good story that keeps the audience guessing until the end. Oh and the end - I love an end that "winks" at the audience. This one has a realistic, smart ending.

Denzel Washington plays a jaded New York Detective called in to work an unusual bank robbery. Clive Owen plays an uncommon thief. Jodie Foster plays one of her more interesting characters as a "fixer" for the rich and famous of New York. Christopher Plummer plays the banker who calls in Foster's character to help make things go away.

The supporting cast is equally impressive. Willem Dafoe and Chiwetel Ejiofor are also detectives working with Washington. Kim Director is among the gang of robbers, interestingly all named Steve.

Can there be a bank robbery if nothing is claimed stolen? If the bank robbers stay in the bank with all the hostages and nobody knows who is a good guy or a bad guy, who can the cops chase? This movie reinforces the idea that success is not based so much on 'what you know' or 'who you know', but more on 'what you know about who you know'.

Watch this movie with someone who thinks a good guessing game is delicious.

The Brave One

My expectation was that this movie was just a remake of 1974's Death Wish. I was wrong.

Director Neil Jordan (The Crying Game, Interview With A Vampire, and The End of the Affair) is more known as a teller of creative, artsy, independent films. In a very real way, he tells this story with more creativity, and more art, than one might expect in your typical revenge genre movie. But, therein lies the catch. This movie is atypical.

Jodie Foster (Taxi Driver, Silence of the Lambs, and The Inside Man to pick just a sample) was also Executive Producer, is a complete character here. Totally believable. Totally real. It is oh so easy to put ourselves in her position. Could you?

When her fiance (Naveen Andrews - Sayid of TV's Lost) is killed and she is beaten senseless, Foster's character, a public radio show host, struggles with how to carry on her life. Does she hate what she becomes, or does she love it?

Terrance Howard (Ray, Four Brothers, Crash, and The Hunting Party) plays the cop trying to catch whomever is killing bad guys in Manhattan. This is some of his best work, and in my opinion, he has done some great stuff.

Yes, there are certainly elements of your average revenge genre movie. But there is much more to the characters here. A good person does bad things to bad guys. The difference is how she reacts and how she evolves.

Another interesting thing is the relationship between the cop and the vigilante. The diner scene is very very smart cinema.

Also of interest is how lovingly this movie portrays New York and New Yorkers. Thank you Neil Jordan, for reminding us what a great city this is.

Watch this movie with someone who loves Manhattan, the safest big city on the planet.