Inside Man

Directed by Danny A. Abeckaser, Inside Man follows a grizzled 1980s police officer (Emile Hirsch’s Bobby) as he goes undercover and attempts to infiltrate a notorious mafia outfit. It’s familiar subject matter that’s employed to watchable yet forgettable effect by Abeckaser, as the filmmaker, armed with a screenplay by Kosta Kondilopoulos, delivers a paint-by-numbers thriller that’s elevated by its inherently compelling premise and assortment of strong performances – with, in terms of the latter, Hirsch’s top-notch turn going a long way towards elevating the proceedings and smoothing over its various deficiencies. (The same can’t be said for some of his less-than-enthralling costars, unfortunately.) And while the picture’s decidedly low-rent atmosphere, which is reflected most keenly in Bryan Koss’ rather anemic cinematography, Inside Man boasts enough genuinely engaging sequences, including a couple of impressive tense set-pieces, to sustain one’s interest for the duration of its admittedly hit-and-miss running time – with the final result a decent-enough endeavor that certainly could’ve been a whole lot worse.

**1/2 out of ****