Spike Lee's Game

I was there at the very beginning. Thanks to my old NYU chum John Pierson (Spike, Mike, Slackers and Dykes), I got to see an early screening of "She's Gotta Have It," which I loved, and wrote up for my first "Risky Business" column, in L.A. Weekly. I did Spike cover stories for Mother Jones and EW, hung out with him in Cannes when he was robbed of the Palme d'Or for "Do the Right Thing," and wrote a later column on 25th Hour for New York Magazine. I can't get enough of this guy. Caryn James recommends checking out Lee's early films, and she's right: they're great. Somewhere along the line, though, Spike made the same mistake Oliver Stone did; he was fearless about giving good political quotes. This stuff stuck to him and made a lot of people stop tuning into his movies. You'll notice that "Inside Man" is not being sold as "A Spike Lee Joint." I've always argued that Spike should work with movie stars, too, which he does to good effect here. If this thoroughly entertaining New York movie does some business, maybe we'll see that Jackie Robinson biopic Spike has wanted to make for so long. ADD: Dave Hudson at greencinedaily rounds up several Inside Man stories and reviews, and writes:

Spike Lee is not only one of the more interesting directors around precisely because his track record is so mixed (I can barely abide straight-A filmmakers), but he's also one of those rare celebs who can make an interview almost as engaging to read as his films are to watch (you'll remember Sara Vilkomerson's in the New York Observer). signandsight translates a bit from Hanns-Georg Rodek's interview for Die Welt. Here, Lee talks more about his next feature, written by Budd Schulberg, about the Max Schmeling-Joe Louis face-off: "Schulberg sat in the audience of the second Schmeling/Louis fight in 1938. Terence Howard, who was nominated for an Oscar for his role in Hustle & Flow will play Louis, and Hugh Jackson will play Schmeling. Now I'm working on the financing... It's going to be an epic: Hitler, Goebbels, Roosevelt, Mussolini, Lena Horne. Ever heard of David Lean? I'm telling you: epic. Three hours at least! Bigger than Malcolm X!" One can imagine that, given Jodie Foster's on-again, off-again efforts to make her Leni Riefenstahl biopic, she and Lee might have had quite a lot to talk about in the run-up to shooting Inside Man. For one thing, both plan to make their films in Berlin. But that's not all signandsight's got on this one: There's also a translation of Katja Nicodemus's interview with Lee for Die Zeit and, it turns out, that film is really very much on his mind. He asks her who might play Max Schmeling's wife.

Comments

[William]

I saw Inside Man last night and would recommend it for someone who wants a solid escapist film. I've been a big supporter of Spike's films since way back in the day. He was an inspiration for me from the beginning and made me think seriously about making films. The media likes to paint him as being inflammatory which he can be but he can also be controversial by raising questions with his films. We could use more filmmakers like him.

[Chris Gunn]

I went to see Inside Man this afternoon out at the Paseo Calorado multiplex in Pasadena. Nice stadium seating and they keep it real clean. It was pretty crowded for a Saturday matinee screening. Families and dates.

The idea of two of NYC's finest black cops using their smarts to bring down a dirty white banking bastard has lots of appeal. But the ending is a real hard out. Too hard! Who is Russ L. Daltry? How did he know about the banker's past but nobody else did? Is he Mossod?

But some of the lines are great and the logic of the script is well done. It's a good thriller. I like 25th Hour better - it feels more personal and more lovingly made as far as Spike's movies go. Denzel's wife seems like an undeveloped throwaway. Cueing the jazz when she comes on is hokey.

When we came out a bunch of people with feedback cards stopped us all. They said we were an opening weekend audience and they wanted to know what we thought.

I gave the movie an excellent, said I went to see it for Spike and Jody, said I will probably buy the DVD (I couldn't note that they should wait at least 5 months to put it out in respect of the theater owner's business but I wanted to!!), I said I went because I heard great online buzz (I mentioned your Risky Biz Blog), but they asked about the trailers too.

There is no way in hell I want to see The Break Up. ANd I already saw Flight 93 on television. Even though that director did an amazing job on the Bourne movie.

Just wanted to let you know I told the marketing people about your blog and it's the reason I went to see Inside Man so quickly. Thanks, Anne.

[Anne Thompson]

Thank you Chris! SPOILER ALERT: I agree that we could know more about the Clive Owen character. He and the two cops wind up alligned against the corrupt status quo, which includes Jodie Foster's character, who was powerful, attractive and unpredictable. We haven't seen someone like her before. Denzel's girlfriend simply served the function of making Denzel lighter and sexier. And I loved the Bollywood opening and closing song.

[Chuck]

I forgot to mention the Bollywood song in my review. That was brilliant--and memebrs of the audience in DC loved it. I liked the film quite a bit and enjoyed your background on Lee.

[Chris Gunn]

This is from boxoffice mojo:

"In Universal's research, Mr. Washington was by far the top reason people gave for seeing Inside Man at 76 percent. Supporting player Jodie Foster, a top draw for pictures she headlines, ranked second at 44 percent, followed by the "story" at 43 percent. Co-star Clive Owen and director Spike Lee were far behind at 25 percent and 22 percent, respectively."

I wasn't aware that Clive Owen was in the movie before I went. And I think it's been noted elsewhere, but Spike Lee was nowhere to be found in the early promotional material. Do you think Universal will roll him out now that it's proven successfull or will they continue to play Spike as the Invisible Man?