Film 3 Analysis
Name
Section
Film Inside Man
Director Spike Lee
Type Written, Double spaced, 12pt. Times new roman, 1” margin
Answer the following questions in a minimum two pages using complete sentences in essay form. Give explanations WITH EXAMPLES to help describe all details.
The film has two potential protagonists: Detective Frasier and Dalton Russel (Washington & Owen). Debate why one character deserves to be considered the protagonist rather than the other. Whose story are we really following in terms of the action? What characteristics or representations suggest that they serve as a more definable protagonist for you?
The film’s narrative is often told in a non sequential structure. The film opens at the end of the narrative arch, and is told with the idea set in place how this will end, with frequent cutaways to scenes out of sequence (the interrogation room). How does this chaotic narrative structure help tell the story by manipulating the plot cause effect sequence? What emotional response does the film hope to evoke by showing and telling the ending before the film starts?
Jodie Foster’s character (Madeline White) provides an additional dynamic between characters, particularly the possible protagonists. How does she as a character further the relationship between Frasier and Russel and what does she represent in the narrative of the film. Would the character be viewed differently if the role was played by a male?
What would you consider to be the climax of this film? How is this definable point influenced by the scenes that precede it and follow it? What would be considered the rising action leading up to the climax and what moments differentiate the climax from the falling action and the denoument.
