‘ACTORS PERFORM BEST WHEN THEY CAN GO HOME TO THEIR FAMILIES AFTER WORK'
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Stealin boty
SPIKE LEE’s latest film, Inside Man, aims for the mainstream. But, as he tells Kaleem Attab. that doesn’t mean he’s abandoned all his signature moments.
‘ x _\nn ean xee h_\ the iexnltx nn xeieen. \\ e all had lnn making: thix lilmf xtt)x Spike |.ee. lt‘x a xtatemenl that ix immediateI} nhxintIx
nn \xatehing liixii/t' .l/uii. \\lllt'lt ix. iemai'kahl}. the
New Yni'k diieetni‘x ltlth lihn in ax man} _\eaix.
lmit/i' .llun ix I ee'x mnxt nh\ iniix attempt tn make a llnlluxnnd genie liliii. lt’x aii intelligent heixt thiillei’ in the manner nl llne lhn .l/lr'lllrlilll xtaiiing Hen/el \Vaxhingnn. ('|i\e (lxxen and indie l’nxlei. |.ee in hix i'nle ax a lilm pinlexxni at .\'e\\ \ni'k l'ni\eixil) l’l‘ixeh Sehnnl til the .-\tlxi hax a|\\a_\x pill the impnitanee nl gnnd “tiling at the tnp nl the hxt nl' innxie making tnnlx. l'he xei‘ipt l'ni' liixii/i' .llim \\ax \xiitten h} lii'xt time \\iitei Rtixxell (ieuiit/ \xhn \\ax iepnitedh paid an axtnnixhing Sl iiiillinii. l.ee. Itllklllg ahnnt putting; the eaxt tngethei. xlltl\\\ hix iexpeet lni \xiiting: 'l.el'x law it. the_\'ie nnt gning tn he in the llllll il \xe‘ie .xhnnting the phnne hunk, xn a Int nl the eiedit l'nr \Vllitl hinnght nx tngether gnex tn the xei ipt.‘
'lhe dii'eetni. \\llu \xill tnin Sll iie\t Man. hax gaineled a Ieptltatinn l'ni aiinganee. lt'x nne nl the higgext mixnnmeix in the mnxie hnxinexx ax l.ee ix “I‘V‘M \\illillf—‘ tn 1—‘l\e eledit tn hix en \xnikelx helnle himxell‘. Il'x a lexxnn in management that he takex l‘i‘nm xpni'tx enaehex.
l€iiainntiied h} ('lix e (N en'x peilnimanee in ('lmei. Spike kne\\ that he wanted the lSllll\ll xlai tn he the inn\ie\ hank inhhei‘. In txpieal l.ee xl}le. he xtaitx nl‘l’ talking ahnnt ()\\ en \\ itli a enmpliment. ‘('li\e ix gleat and took nn a hig iixk heeanxe the andienee ean‘t xee hix l'aeef In fact ()\\ en \\ax xlightl} ietieent tn pla} the part heeatIxe nl' thix and l.ee lnnk him in hix Iiixntiiite
plaee ennitxide at Madixnn Square (iaiden “here he unit the aetni' n\ er.
()ne til. the llinxt nntieeahle l-L‘illllliLN (il‘ it Spike l.ee
jnillt ix hix enntinned iixe nl the xame xtal'l hnth in
l'innt tit" and hehind the eamei‘a. ()nite ximpl}. l.ee likex the xenxe nl lainil} thix hiingx nn xet. In turn xtal‘l' like making lni' him heeanxe he exehenx the llnll}\\nntl ti'aditinn nl' \x'niking lnng da}x when xhnnling. ‘We tr} tn xhnnt ll’tllll xi\ in the mnt‘ning tn xi\ at night.’ he xa_\x. ‘\\'e leel it helpx aelnrx give their hext pei'lni'maneex when the} ean head hnme in the melting In their laiiiiliex and their li\ex.' lt alxn meanx that |.ee ean gn hnme tn hix t\\n ehildi'en and hix \\ il'e. ’l‘nnxa. \xith \\lltllll he hax \xiitten t\\n ehildren’x l‘ililk\.
|)en/el \Vaxhingtnn ix haek l'ni‘ hix lntii'th ride with the diieelni; Indeed the laxt time Lee had a lilm that npened at mnnhei nne in the {'8 hn\ nl'liee \xax the laxt time he \xni‘ked \xilh \‘x'axhingtnn nn /l(’ (in! (iii/m: little \xnndei‘ then that he dexei'ihex \Vaxhingtnn ax ‘m_\ linntn‘ite aetni”. |.ee needx a big hit In yet xnine mnre pei'xnnal pi'nieetx xueh ax a dieam .lne |.nnix pinieet nll the gi'ntmd.
lhe gnnd neux ix that l.ee. in making a genre mm ie. hax lint ahandnned man) nl' hix xignattn'e mnnientx. l'he dnll} xllnt. the xtt‘eetx nl .\'e\\ Ynl‘k tilld enntempni‘ai} pnlitieal enmmentary are all there. Next up. l.ee \xill he jumping haek intn the lite when he itll'llx hix attenlinnx tn lltn‘i'ieane Katrina in the tliletllllelllttl'). ll'llt'il Illt' /.(’i"\' [fin/w.
General release, Fri 24 Mar. See review, page 49.
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7‘} "LU Mitt 7’7)‘, 47