Inside Man Blu-ray

Inside Man

 (2006)

Crime | Drama | Thriller



Four people dressed in painters' outfits march into the busy lobby of Manhattan Trust, a cornerstone Wall Street Branch of a worldwide financial institution. Within seconds, the costumed robbers place the bank under a surgically planned siege, and the 50 patrons and staff become unwitting pawns in an airtight heist. NYPD hostage negotiators Detectives Keith Frazier and Bill Mitchell are dispatched to the scene with orders to establish contact with the heist's ringleader, Dalton Russell, and ensure safe release of the hostages. Working alongside Emergency Services Unit (ESU) Captain John Darius, all are hopeful that the situation can be peacefully diffused and that control of the bank and release of those inside can be secured in short order. But Russell proves an unexpectedly canny opponent--clever, calm and totally in command--a puppet master with a meticulous plan to disorient and confuse not only the hostages, but also the authorities. But just what are the robbers after? Why is nothing working to alleviate the standoff? Detecetive Frazier becomes convinced that invisible strings are being pulled and secret negotiations are taking place while the powder keg situation grows more unstable by the moment.

For more details about Inside Man on Blu-ray, see the Inside Man Blu-ray Review

Inside Man Blu-ray, Video Quality

 


The only thing holding back the video quality is the handheld camera that adds a hint of blurriness to many of the shots. True to form, Spike Lee usually has the camera moving, even when his subjects are still. He uses many cameras, lenses, angles, complex shots and postproduction effects--and edits the footage for a tremendous variety of visuals that always seem fresh and interesting. It's one of the hallmarks of his films that I've always appreciated. As for the transfer to 1080p, it is excellent. Blacks are inky and deep, although the contrast in the greys is not as refined as reference-level quality. The color vibrancy and definition are phenomenal. While characters' faces and fabrics are rendered with tremendous presence, my favorite subject is the city of New York itself. Watch the outdoor shots of the courthouse and the various views of city landmarks and skylines. Spike Lee has an affinity for the city that only a select few directors achieved before him--directors like Martin Scorsese and Woody Allen-- and has feel for citiscapes puts him in rarified territory. But whether the camera shows shots of people or a piece of Manhattan, the composition is always spot-on, with good detail and lifelike skin tones.

Inside Man Blu-ray, Audio Quality

 


When you can hear individual stubble from Denzel Washington's chin rubbing against his collar as he slowly shakes his head, there is no denying you are hearing not just an excellent recording but lifelike audio. Voices, instruments, gunfire, vehicles--all is rendered with a superior dedication to sound quality. It's a reference audio track all the way in DTS-HD Master Audio. Crank the opening and closing credits featuring an awesome remix of "Chaiyya Chaiyya" from the Bollywood movie Dil Se. Spike Lee's music guru, jazzman/trumpet player Terence Blanchard, added an orchestral highlight as well as scratching by DJ Premier to enhance the song written by A.R. Rahman, Gulzar, Panjabi MC and performed by Sukhwinder Singh, Sapna Awasthi and Panjabi MC. Excellent use of the LFE channel is on display, maybe a touch boomier than it needs to be, but it's still taught and refined enough. For dialogue, the clarity cuts like a razor. Highs are bright and extended, carrying just enough bite. Midrange and midbass are linear and fleshed out in contrast to many digital audio soundtracks that have sucked-out mids. In short, it's perfect.

Watch the scene where the police first arrive at the bank. It's a cacophony of squealing tires, screaming sirens, bellowing officers, gathering crowds. Nowhere do these sounds become muddied or congested. Each voice, each engine, each tire is vividly rendered, with good use of surrounds. Denzel's voice isn't just recognizable. It has presence, with all the overtones as if he was in the room. Owen disguises his voice with just a touch of a Brooklyn accent, and his timbre is intriguing. Foster has just a hint of lilt to her voice and, like the others, she appears to be in the room. The aural illusion is that strong. Imaging is excellent, and even the music is mastered aggressively in surround. Rarely do we get a 5.1 track that makes such good use of the rear channels and subwoofer. I attribute the dedication to excellent audio engineering, as well as the fine compositions, to Blanchard who I had the good fortune to see leading a quartet at One Step Down, a small jazz club on the outskirts of Georgetown, just as his career started to take off with Lee.

The audio content is of reference quality.

Inside Man Blu-ray, News and Updates

• Inside Man Audio Issue Corrected - May 26, 2009


• Inside Man Blu-ray Delayed One Week - May 20, 2009


• Seabiscuit and Inside Man Play Catch-up Too - March 20, 2009

Inside Man Blu-ray, Forum Discussions

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