A review by JAMES SOUTHALL

Spike Lee's most conventional (and paradoxically, best-reviewed) movie in years, Inside Man is a fairly standard heist movie but with a taut, impressive screenplay and a wonderful array of acting talent, featuring Denzel Washington, Clive Owen, Jodie Foster, Christopher Plummer and Willem Defoe.  Of course, regular Lee collaborator Terence Blanchard was on hand to write the score.  Blanchard doesn't write too many film scores (of course, he is an accomlished jazz musician, primarily) but - much like Mark Isham - when he writes jazzy scores, they are inevitably more impressive than some film composers' faux efforts at the same thing.

Inside Man is an excellent thriller score, edgy and claustrophobic but consistently listenable.  It's all anchored around a strong main theme, an organic piece which appears in most tracks but never outstays its welcome simply because Blanchard does so much with it.  Despite what I said earlier, most of the score is actually conventionally orchestral, with deep brass and ominous strings, but when the composer adds jazzy elements it really comes into its own, such as the occasional trumpet solos winding around the main theme (solos performed by Blanchard himself).  Amongst the rather oppressive atmosphere, some lighter moments are needed, and these are duly delivered, with the lovely piano theme in "Frazier's Tour" being a highlight, and the violin solo of "Nazis Pay Too Well" is simply gorgeous.

For no reason that I can particularly discern (though perhaps there is a good one), the film opens with a remixed rap version of a Bollywood record "Chaiyya Chaiyya Bollywood Joint" (!) written by the ubiquitous A.R. Rahman, which closes down this album.  It's all rather bizarre, but quite good fun.  The album as a whole is effective and impressive, if not the most entertaining; a solid thriller score.

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Tracks

1. Ten Thirty (1:59)
2. Thrown a Bone (2:36)
3. Stevie Switcharoo (1:40)
4. Dalton's World (:46)
5. 357 (:58)
6. 392 (1:41)
7. 2nd Floor Window (:47)
8. Defend Brooklyn (1:18)
9. Food Chain (1:11)
10. Above Your Pay Grade (1:28)
11. Everything Hunky Dory (1:36)
12. Frazier's Tour (4:55)
13. Press Here to Play (1:41)
14. Nothing Yet (2:07)
15. Demands in Place (:59)
16. Here Lies Peter Hammond (2:36)
17. Nazis Pay Too Well (3:53)
18. Nice Talking to You (1:19)
19. They Bugged Us (1:45)
20. Hostage Takedown (2:51)
21. Dr Phil (1:12)
22. Photo Ops (2:01)
23. ESU Search (1:26)
24. Dalton's Cell (1:11)
25. Follow the Ring (4:19)
26. Good and Ready (2:21)
27. Chaiyya Chaiyya Bollywood Joint Sukhwinder Singh, Sapna Awasthi, Panjabi MC (6:12)