Introduction
Inside Man (2006) directed by Spike Lee depicts the perfect bank robbery skillfully planned by a criminal Dalton Russell (Clive Owen). The robbery with hostages turns into a game of cat-and-mouse between Russell, an experienced detective Keith Frazier (Denzel Washington), and a power broker with a hidden agenda Madeleine White (Jodie Foster). Apart from the obvious fight between the good and the evil that the film presents there are some less apparently observed topics covered. In the current paper I will speak of two of them: the call for actions of the US government concerning the video games and the way the US government reacts to emergency situations.
Main body
Prohibition to sell and rent excessively violent and sexually explicit video games to children under 18 has always been a disputable question that US governors try to solve (Blagojevich). The reality of modern life is such that an American teenager can go into a store and buy or rent there any game no matter how violent and sexually explicit it might be. No law prevents him/her from doing this.
In the film under consideration we witness a scene when the robbers’ leader lets the African-American boy keep on playing a video game whereas other hostages are ordered to hand over all phones and electronic devices. Owen’s character asks the kid about the game he is playing. For not more than thirty seconds we realize that the game is one of those that teach the players that there is nothing extraordinary in killing and robbing people. The dialogue between the robber and the boy proves it:
Robber: “What’s the point of this game?”
Boy: “Rob people. Kill people.”
Robber: “And you like this?”
Boy: “Sure. Just like my man Fitty says, ‘Get rich, or die tryin’. That’s what you’re doing, isn’t it?” (The Inside Man)
A bit later the robber confiscates the game saying that he wants to talk to the boy’s father about allowing him to play it. I believe that this scene wherein a complete stranger cares of what the boy plays is intended to symbolize American parents’ pleads to the US government to regulate selling of video games and the governors’ unwillingness to consider the issue. My point is that the problem of violent and sexually explicit video games requires urgent solving not on the level of one family that experiences it but on the state one, as it embraces the whole nation.
Also, in the film, the US government actions are disclosed more explicitly when it comes to the actions that New York City police undertakes to rescue the hostages. While the robbery takes place the viewer can see how different police departments try to elaborate effective methods to save people’s lives. One can observe that though police officers do not always agree with each other on some issues but still do not hamper the process of finding a way out. Overall, New York police actions are well-coordinated and professionally organized. The mayor of the city controls the situation, wishing to solve the problem quickly and without victims.
I believe the mayor’s and the police actions depicted in the film create a positive image of the US government in general. The film does not seem to be another tale about courageous people in uniform, but instead offers a sort of narrative about the work of real professionals.
Conclusion
Thus, at least to aspects related to US government can be observed in Spike Lee’s Inside Man. They are rather opposite to each other, as one of them proves the effective work of the government but the other implies its inertia. I am inclined to think that the view of the US government through these different perspectives contributes to the overall realistic nature of the film.
Works Cited
Blagojevich, Rod. “Video Games Law Would Help Us Fight for Our Kids.” Policy/Management. 2005. Web.
The Inside Man. Dir. Spike Lee. Perf. Denzel Washington, Clive Owen, Jodie Foster, Christopher Plummer, Willem Dafoe, Chiwetel Ejiofor. 2006. Universal Pictures.
Vile, M. J.C. Politics in the USA. London: Routledge, 1999.