TL;DR – It is an interesting character study, but I struggled to connect with any part of the film.

Post-Credit Scene – There is no post-credit scene.

Disclosure – I was sent a screener of this film.

Inside Man Review –

Today, we are looking at a film that is steeped in tradition even before the ‘based on a true story’ moniker pops up on the screen. In the deep of the 1980s, New York who was full of mobsters, murders, and illicit substances. It has been a fodder for many films, including the one we are looking at today.   

So, to set the scene, we are in Brooklyn, New York, back in 1983 when Bobby Belucci (Emile Hirsch) was a cop at the crossroads. After finding another man with his wife and introducing that man to his fists, he was demoted to the backend of the department and stuck behind a desk. But one drunken night, Bobby gets the chance to change his fate when he saves the mobster Chris Rosenberg (Jake Cannavale), one of Roy Demeo’ (Danny Abeckaser) guys, from a stabbing.

One of the biggest issues with the film is that Bobby is not really a sympathetic character. The first time we are really introduced to the characters, he caves in the head of someone else and then whines when he is called on it. This is not the only time this happens throughout the film. What this does is it keeps you completely detached from the character, so you don’t care all that much when he is put into precarious positions of dubious morality. You also feel that none of the other characters in the film would like him enough to “just let it go”. This creates an odd disconnect where you don’t care if the main character lives or dies.

However, where the film does fair a touch better is in its exploration of the Mob during the time. I am not an expert in this area, and a little research has shed some concerns over the accuracy of parts of the film. However, the large supporting cast do give their all in creating this world. Robert Davi is always such a presence, so I would have liked to see more of him throughout. But Danny Abeckaser does make for a fascinating central antagonist for the proceedings. Indeed, everything that happens around the Gemini Lounge is at least interesting, especially when you don’t know who is about to get whacked.

From the production side of things, the film is competently put together for the most part. The location work and all the costumes, cars, etc, do evoke that timeframe quite well, bringing you back to those late 70s/early 80s vibes. If there was one area that did frustrate me throughout, it was the lighting. Quite often, actors were trying to emote from shadow, even when it was not night, and that muted some of the performances. Also, from a structural perspective, the ending felt a little rushed.        

In the end, do we recommend Inside Man? While it is working in a well-established space and you can clearly see the inspiration it draws, especially in Hirsch’s performance, which is shouting out to the nosebleeds. The way they narratively constructed some of the characters ended up being a barrier for me to really engage with this film. Have you watched Inside Man? Let us know what you thought in the comments below. If you liked Inside Man, we would recommend to you Bring Him to Me.

By Brian MacNamara: You can follow Brian on Twitter Here, when he’s not chatting about Movies and TV, he’ll be talking about International Relations, or the Solar System.

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Credits – All images were created by the cast, crew, and production companies of Inside Man
Directed by – Danny A. Abeckaser
Written by – Kosta Kondilopoulos
Music by – Lionel Cohen
Cinematography by – Bryan Koss
Edited by – Steve Ansell
Production/Distribution Companies – Vertical Entertainment, Bleiberg Entertainment, 2B, Wild7 Films & Eagle Entertainment
Starring – Emile Hirsch, Jake Cannavale, Lucy Hale, Ashley Greene, Robert Davi, Vincent Laresca, Danny Abeckaser, Kyle Stefanski, Greg Finley, Jeremy Luke, James Russo, Bo Dietl, Sid Rosenberg, George Andreakos, Anil Raman, David Bortolucci, Ellen Hollman, Antje Utgaard & Genc Jakupi
Rating – Arnound an Australia: MA15+;