Ticket Stubs #41: The Inside Edge

Article by Sean Wilkinson,
a.k.a. The Ticketmaster

The original version of this article has been lost to time and the grinding teeth of progress in what is known among the masses of maddened former members as "old MySpace." Fortunately, I was able to glean the original post date and issue number from its inclusion in my Greatest Hits portfolio.

As for the reason I chose this particular review to re-release at this particular time? That's a lot of particulars and a lot of "re-"s, but there are two reasons: Willem Dafoe was recently hinted to reprise his role as the Green Goblin in the upcoming Spider-Man: No Way Home, and Clive Owen is currently portraying former U.S. President Bill Clinton in Impeachment: American Crime Story.

Both actors star in today's film selection. But before I begin, I'd like to give praise to the makeup artists, and to Clive Owen, for bringing such an immersive performance to this installment of the ACS anthology series (which previously tackled the O.J. Simpson trial and the murder of Gianni Versace). Though a bit more fat and roundness could have been brought to the facial prosthetics here, Clive Owen is all but unrecognizable as himself, and his voice and delivery are uncannily Bill Clinton. Check out the series now at your stream of choice or on FX via your local provider.

And now, on to today's Ticket Stubs, which is a re-issued review FROM July 17, 2008 (SW@ Ticket #55: The Inside Edge). For history's sake, my Current Mood (an "old MySpace" feature similar to Facebook's "what are you doing/feeling?" post enhancers) at the time was "fascinated."

Inside Man is a superficially ingenious, yet fundamentally formulaic heist/hostage movie starring Denzel Washington (hostage negotiator Keith Frazier), Clive Owen (bank robber Dalton Russell), Christopher Plummer (bank financier Arthur Case), Jodie Foster (information specialist Madeline White), and Willem Dafoe (Captain John Darius). Plenty of star power, interesting names, and a twisty yet comprehensible plot make for one memorable flick (and if you're in to comedy and stuff exploding, there's a little of that, too). 

A team of four expert heist men calling each other Steve (with character names like Dalton and Arthur, the writers just had to throw in a few Steves to balance things out) lock down a bank, take hostages, and demand a plane for their escape. It is up to Frazier to talk the thieves out of the bank before any lives or valuables are lost. But what are the Steves after? What information is Madeline trying to protect? And what's inside the bank (other than a team of really prepared bank robbers) that has Arthur Case scrambling to hide it from the public? This is no ordinary heist film, nor is it your average star-driven dud; Inside Man probably wouldn't have been noticed without the star power it currently has, but the plot and script can stand alone, and you won't know how the movie will end until you should: at the end.

A (Most Wanted - pun not intended)

According to what little I could find, the original review was hardly changed to make it portfolio-worthy for my Greatest Hits, aside from fixing a few spelling mistakes and cleaning up a single line of PG profanity near the end. Phrases like "piece of crap" don't read well in the realm of mass media (or they didn't thirteen years ago). So I didn't think it would be a good use of anyone's time to include both versions as I did for the last Ticket Stubs. Also, coincidentally, when I Googled the film for a link insert, I discovered that there is a brand-slapped, direct-to-video "sequel" titled, Inside Man: Most Wanted. I have no interest in watching it, but now you all know it exists. You're welcome?

Chucky continues tonight, so I hope you enjoyed this blast from the past. Academia calls....

Ticketmaster,

and SW@,
out.