Inside Man (2023) User Reviews

A somewhat decent mob/undercover cop story

[dubond · 5/10 · 16 August 2023]

"In that moment I realized, I didn't deserve her."

Inside Man is directed by Danny A Abeckaser and stars Emile Hirsch, Lucy Hale, Jake Cannavale and Ashley Greene.

Originally titled The Gemini Lounge but then retitled to the much more generic title Inside Man. The story (supposedly based on true events although to what degree I'm not sure.) follows Bobby Belucci (Hirsch) a disgraced police detective whose life spirals out of control once he discovers his wife (Ashley Greene) having an affair. After a public meltdown which leads to her leaving him for good and him being demoted as a cop he tries to seek redemption by going undercover to infiltrate the Gambino crime family's "DeMeo Crew."

Sort of a mix of Goodfellas and Donnie Brasco with Hirsch emulating both Ray Liotta and Johnny Depp but it actually works or at least for me it did. This is maybe his best role he's done since probably Alpha Dog or Into The Wild. Unfortunately not everything about this was strong because I actually feel like this lost steam as it went along and by the time the last 10 minutes rolled around and the ending happened I was kind of underwhelmed with how things ended. I feel like this movie missed a more interesting storytelling opportunity to have Hirsch's character break bad so to speak it sort of hinted at it but since this was supposedly based on true events I guess they wanted to honor the real life story.

Lucy Hale I thought was also really good here unfortunately I feel like she wasn't given enough to do and there was another storytelling aspect with her character that I feel like this movie should've taken advantage of but they didn't. If you decide to watch this you'll know what I'm talking about when it happens during the last 10 minutes or so. Overall Inside Man was better than expected and Emile Hirsch gives one of his better performances here so it's worth watching for that but overall even though this was based on real life events I feel like this movie played things too safe which led to this just feeling like a generic mob/ gangster movie by the end of this. Curious if other people have similar feelings that I did about this.

Solid Low Budget Undercover Cop Effort

[zack_gideon · 6/10 · 19 August 2023]

Quite enjoyed this easy-to-digest undercover cop effort. Film takes place in the 1980's and you can tell they put a lot of effort into costume (especially Lucy Hale) and set decoration.

Some films, like this one are just easy to sit thru - the story is simple, pacing is even (meaning most scenes don't lag) and the dialogue progresses the plot and adds some humor as well.

They also use narration the correct way, by allowing the lead to guide the audience (similar to Goodfellas) thru the story. It's not heavy handed or over used, which is a tricky way to write a screenplay.

Overall I enjoyed this film, it doesn't try to do too much, but creates a nice 80's atmosphere and does most things correctly. Only problem is they once again use CGI for gunshot wounds. Please, directors...stop doing this! It's an immediate downgrade on any film. 6.3/10.

Tries and fails to be Goodfellas

[kuner-59029 · 4/10 · 18 August 2023]

Inside Man starts decent enough with Emile Hirsch playing a cop with anger managment problems who convinces his captain to let him go undercover to infiltrate the mob.

The film attempts to copy Scorcese's style with Emile Hirsch narrating over slow motion montages scored with guitar / rock music. There is harsh realistic violence, scenes of hits, people being tortured, cut to pieces and being disposed in garbage bags. There are a few tense scenes.

However the film is less than the sum of its parts. It fails to connect. Where Goodfellas or Casino pulled you in, made everything feel grandiose and meaningful, the plot here amounts to very little, and Emile Hirsch's protagonist is neither interesting or engaging. His acting is a mixed back here. Great in some scenes, deer in the headlight in others. There's no way experienced mobsters wouldn't have sniffed him out as he was flinching and staring in utter horror during the killings.

The mobsters themselves are sadly forgettable. There's no colorful characters here portrayed by veteran actors like Pesci or DeNiro.

Inside man isn't unwatchable, I was just bored by it.

Continuity And Credibility Are Both Lost Here

[TheAnimalMother · 2/10 · 25 December 2023]

The director here seems to have no idea how to tell this story. The way some scenes come across seem so obviously wrong, as if the story, the director and the actors are not entirely on the same page. They haven't thought the film through well enough. This easily could've been at least a decent film with these actors and the crime story. However the film leaves us mostly just stunned in disbelief as to how badly this story is conveyed to us at certain times. The writing is also quite weak in some areas, and much of it just seems regurgitated from other classic crime films, (Which could still be reasonably good if done well.). At the very start of the film, it actually does seem fairly good, until you start to see all the problems I've previously mentioned here. At that point, it just starts to become ridiculous.

2.5/10.

Shocked by the low rating

[bigshak321 · 7/10 · 10 October 2023]

If you're a fan of the mob and in particular what went on around the gemini lounge with roy demeo and his crew then this is a good movie to watch. I've always been a fan of emile hirsch to and he rarely disappoints, I thought the rest of the cast did well to and the locations and cars matched the period it was depicting, thats kind of mad considering it's not from a major studio! I had read the book about this guy and his crew and maybe they could have added more scenes showing just how brutal they were. I seriously think this movie is a solid 6.5 or 7 but since we can't vote in halves il give it a 7. Watch it and see what you think.

Good mob movie.

[deloudelouvain · 7/10 · 31 December 2023]

I'm surprised Inside Man didn't get a higher rating on here. It certainly deserves a higher rating in my opinion. People comparing it to Goodfellas make no sense. First of all it doesn't have the same budget nor director. Sure it's a gangster movie, this time based on a true story although I doubt it that things exactly happened like that. Even if it has a lower budget I wouldn't class it as a B-movie like some other reviewers stated. If all B-movies were of this quality I wouldn't watch anything else. Good acting from the entire crew with Emile Hirsch standing out of the lot. A pleasant story to follow, just like I would imagine the mobs in New York to work in those times. A good watch if you like oldschool gangster movies.

good actors in B-movie

[SnoopyStyle · 7/10 · 27 August 2023]

It's early 80's. New York police detective Bobby Belucci (Emile Hirsch) has anger issues. After beating up his wife's boyfriend, he's stuck working the files at a desk. One night at a bar, he befriends a thug connected to the Gambino crime family. He starts working for Roy DeMeo (Danny Abeckaser) who infamously committed an incredible number of murders using the Gemini Method.

This is a crime drama B-movie. It does have two things going for it. First, the real life crime story is very compelling. They're murderous gangsters. The second is the solid acting especially from Emile Hirsch. He's always been very good despite his declining career. I really like his complicated character. The big drawback is the B-movie filmmaking. I have not seen Danny A. Abeckaser's other directing work. I doubt that I missed much. The writing could be better, too. This is mostly a B-movie except for some of the actors.

Probably the best B-grade indie gangster film out there.

[Top_Dawg_Critic · 8/10 · 19 August 2023]

Wow this was surprisingly awesome. For an non-studio produced (independently funded) film, it's a B-grade version of the best big budget Hollywood-produced gangster films. Produced, directed and co-starring Danny A. Abeckaser with Emile Hirsch, and a bunch of other perfectly cast mobster-looking actors, all performances were spot on. Written by newb screenwriter Kosta Kondilopoulos, this is a very engaging and thrilling story based on true events. Aside from some pacing issues and other small rookie filmmaking mistakes, the 91 min runtime was effectively used, and although I'm not usually a fan of narrated storytelling, it actually worked well in this film. Props to all the cast and crew for pulling off such a great little indie gem. It's a well deserved 8/10 and certainly a recommended watch from me. Click on my username to see how I rate and review films, or to see more of my 1,700+ reviews and 3,000+ ratings.

Based on true events about a detective who seeks redemption for getting involved in a dangerous criminal organization

[ma-cortes · 6/10 · 17 March 2024]

Criminal thriller, based on real events in which Emilie Hirsch plays Bobby Belucci, a violent police detective dismissed from his position after attacking his wife's lover. After beating her lover to a pulp, she leaves him and Bobby gets demoted at work, triggering his determination to prove he's worthy of redemption. Inside Man (2023) follows disgraced New York Police Detective Belucci (Emilie Hirsch) as his life falls apart when he discovers his wife (Ashley Greene) is having an affair. Now, Bobby is looking for a second chance to regain everyone's respect. To do this, he decides to go incognito into a group of dangerous mafia members, but this results in an operation in which he will soon lose control of his actions. Bobby will stop at nothing to get close to the head of the crew, Roy DeMeo (Danny Abeckaser), to expose the murder and corruption. His plan is to go undercover as a grunt and infiltrate the Gambino crime family's notorious "DeMeo Crew," a violent and bloody faction that reigned terror in the 1960s and '70s. The gangsters join at 'The Gemini Lounge', the bar the film is centred. The price for absolution may be higher than he can afford !.

The film portrays the brutality and impunity in which the DeMeo gang, led by Roy DeMeo, acted, a criminal group laced with Gambino family that led crime in New York, committing around 200 murders between the 1970s and 1980s . Mobster movie contains top-notch performances , pretentious familiar drama , thrills , fast-paced , action , being richly narrated and including an emotive final, although also packs strong scenes , violence and profanities. The picture develops itself in the wake of classics as ¨Mike Newell's Donnie Brasco¨ and ¨Martin Scorsese's Goodfellas¨, taking parts here and there. Fresh and intelligent screenplay by Kosta Kondilopoulos, based on real N. Y. C's Italian Mafia families , including interesting characterizations taken from real mobsters. Emile Hirsch gives an acceptable acting as a disgraced police detective seeking redemption by going undercover to expose a violent crime syndicate, but he sinks deeper into the mob and more bodies drop. He falls in love for the Gemini Lounge's waiter played by Lucy Hales, but there's an underutilization of Lucy Hale's role and the absence of meaningful interactions between them. The film's cast is completed Jake Cannavale, Ashley Greene, and brief acting of Robert Davi as mobster chief Anthony 'Nino' Gaggi and even the film's director Danny A. Abeckaser who plays a main role, mobster Roy DeMeo.

'Inside Man' was originally titled 'The Gemini Lounge' and some countries still retain this name, it was professionally directed by Danny A. Abeckaser, though usually lacks nuance and relies heavily on visual cues to depict emotions and plot points. He's known for his roles in Zohan: (2008), First We Take Brooklyn (2018) and The Iceman (2012). And he's directed a few films, such as: ¨The Engineer¨, ¨Mob town¨, ¨First We Take Brooklyn¨, ¨Blackjack: The Jackie Ryan Story¨. Rating: 5.5/10. Passable but not notable.

First rate crime movie based on infamous mobster kill team

[thang-247-480512 · 8/10 · 19 August 2023]

Well what a pleasant surprise to find an outright excellent crime movie based loosely on a team of horrendous mass murdering serial killers who contracted to (and were part of) the mafia decades ago.

I don't understand the average reviews here unless of course they simply skimmed it or weren't aware of the backstory. To call this a cliche is ridiculous - these events really happened (except for the disgruntled cop) and last I looked, life, reality, is not a cliche.

I've been a member of IMDB for 8 years but only done a handfull of reviews, I'm pretty lazy & otherwise busy so only pop out when the occasion really demands - like here.

The standard of acting here is sky high. Emile is great, but watch the De Meo character, Lucy Hale in a few scenes which she steals as the ice cold killers' moll, James Russo as the stone killer elder mobster and especially the Senter character. A nest of serial killer vipers ably portrayed and I had the greatest pleasure in watching this movie. Real life is never a cliche...

Pretty, pretty Good..

[duMaurier1 · 8/10 · 20 December 2023]

This was actually a pretty good movie. It was based on a real mafia crew as I found out at the end of the movie and googling it. The movie is a mash up of Martin Scorsese and Donnie Brasco.. obviously we are not comparing it to those because this movie was probably 1/10 of the budget of those classics but Inside Man is still very good. They did a good job with the 70/80s environment and New York dialogue especially from the Police Chief. Wish the film was a bit longer so we can know more about the characters and have more scenes of the other mobsters. You dont feel much for any of the characters because of how short the film is.. like the broken relationship between the narc, Bobby and his ex. I am not a film critic or a Expert reviewer so please mind my attempt at expressing how much I liked this film. If you enjoyed Donnie Brasco, Saints of Newark, Copland then I would definitely give Inside Man a try.

If you like Goodfellas, you'll like this

[cswestage · 10/10 · 14 August 2023]

All I can say is I picked this movie randomly off Amazon Prime, and I'm very glad I did. I don't normally write reviews, but the movie is definitely good and inspired me too say a few things.. First and foremost, the cast is great. As a big fan Emile Hirsch, it was nice to see a supporting cast that really helped him shine. I know it's based on true events, but the story is great if you like Goodfellas or American Gangster. Bits of humor scattered throughout the film were also refreshing. I really have nothing but good things to say about the production, the acting, and the entire story. I highly recommend this movie to anyone who likes the gritty true stories of life before cell phones. Again, I loved it and it was very well done.