‘Inside Man’ is a crime thriller film that tells the story of a bank robbery in broad daylight and the efforts of detectives Keith Frazier and Bill Mitchell to secure the safety of the hostages, as well as to figure out the “who” and “why” of the robbery. The compelling performances by the stellar cast comprising Denzel Washington, Clive Owen, Jodie Foster, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Willem Dafoe, and Christopher Plummer push forward the tale in this Spike Lee directorial.
The 2006 film employs a multi-camera setup to show the grand scale of the events in which more than a dozen lives hang in the balance. Suffice it to say the location for filming should match the grand scale of the story. In case you’re wondering whether the film was shot on location or elsewhere, you’re at the right place. Here’s everything you need to know about the filming locations of ‘Inside Man!’
Inside Man: Where Was it Filmed?
‘Inside Man’ was shot entirely on location in New York City, New York. Principal photography began on June 27, 2005, and went on until August 4, 2005. Matthew Libatique, the Director of Photography for ‘Inside Man,’ used a stable Steadicam to film the scenes with Dalton Russell (Clive Owen) in it to show his control of the entire situation; and a camera was used to follow Detective Keith Frazier (Denzel Washington) everywhere he went in order to portray his confusion. Aside from the fact that the film’s story is based in New York City, filming ‘Inside Man’ in the city made it eligible for the incentives program of the state. Let’s take a look at where exactly ‘Inside Man’ was filmed!
New York City, New York
In ‘Inside Man,’ the bank heist takes place at a branch of the Manhattan Trust Bank. A former Wall Street bank at 20 Exchange Place acts as a stand-in for the fictional bank. Having already gone through renovations once as a cigar bar, the production’s design team led by Wynn Thomas restored the décor of the former bank to its 1920s architectural aesthetic.
An office at the Alexander Hamilton US Custom House doubled as the office of Arthur Case (Christopher Plummer). The interior design of Case’s office is imposing, with each and every item, from the chairs to the wall hangings screaming wealth. Alexander Hamilton US Custom House also acts as the courthouse interior, which is the location for a scene in which Frazier confronts Madeleine White (Jodie Foster). The American Tract Society Building, located at 150 Nassau Street in Manhattan, takes on the role of Madeleine White’s office. The building is also known as the Park Place Tower.
Cafe Bravo, a coffee shop located at 76 Beaver Street and Hanover Street, was also used for filming. The Esplanade in Battery Park City is where Madeleine White and Arthur Case have their first meeting with the gorgeous New York City skyline in the background. A pedestrian paradise, The Esplanade runs along the Hudson River and is dotted with parks, gardens, and marinas.
The majority of the interior sequences were shot at Steiner Studios, located at 15 Washington Avenue, in Brooklyn Navy Yard. Under the design team’s guidance, the production facility is responsible for creating several interior sets, which include the bank’s basement, detective Frazier’s apartment, a police interrogation room, and the interiors of the New York City Police Department and a light-duty Mobile Command vehicle through which Captain John Darius (Willem Dafoe) coordinated the NYPD Emergency Services Unit in the film.
As per reports, an actual Mobile Command vehicle, however, was used for the exterior shots of the Command vehicle. Other notable productions that utilized the production facilities of the Steiner Studios are ‘Tick, Tick…Boom!‘, ‘Joker‘, ‘West Side Story (2021), ‘Men in Black 3’, and ‘The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.’
Read More: Is Inside Man (2006) Based on a True Story?
