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| “ | My name is Dalton Russell. Pay strict attention to what I say because I choose my words carefully and I never repeat myself. I've told you my name: that's the Who. The Where could most readily be described as a prison cell. But there's a vast difference between being stuck in a tiny cell and being in prison. The What is easy: recently I planned and set in motion events to execute the perfect bank robbery. That's also the When. As for the Why: beyond the obvious financial motivation, it's exceedingly simple... because I can. Which leaves us only with the How; and therein, as the Bard would tell us, lies the rub. | „ |
| ~ Dalton Russell's opening monologue. |
| “ | Fact is, all lies, all evil deeds, they stink. You can cover them up for a while, but they don't go away. | „ |
| ~ Dalton Russell explains that crimes can't be hidden forever, foreshadowing Arthur Case's corruption. |
Dalton Russell is the villainous deuteragonist of the 2006 heist thriller film Inside Man. He is a professional criminal who pulls of an ambitious bank heist which soon leads to a hostage situation. As the police and outside parties attempt to dispel the situation, he endeavors to outsmart all of them in order to pull off the perfect heist. He is Detective Keith Frasier's archenemy.
He was portrayed by Clive Owen, who also portrayed The Professor in The Bourne Identity, Captain Arun Filitt in Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets, and Clayton "Clay" Verris in Gemini.
Personality[]
Dalton Russell is a complex character, bordering the line between villain and anti-villain. As a thief and a critical thinker, he is very meticulous when it comes to pulling off heists, having considered every possible when planning to hold multiple people hostages and walking out of the bank at the same time. Rarely anyone can tell what he's planning, for not even an experienced hostage negotiator like Keith Frazier could deduce what his end goal was. This makes him very unpredictable, one-upping the police at every turn.
When it comes to dealing with his hostages, depending on how they were acting, he could either be very intimidating or amiable. His intimidating demeanor is shown when one hostage foolishly attempts to hide his phone when asked to place them in the bag. This leads to Dalton beating him up, sending a message to the other hostages as to what would happen if they went against him. However, he talks to a child hostage calmly and reassures him that he'll be alright. This shows that his attitude to his hostages depends solely on how they behave while in his presence. As for the cops, he is strict and professional, never telling them anything more then what they already know. However, he also has an ironic sense of humor too, such as when he asks the negotiators a riddle to stall for time and to possibly make them sweat some more.
Despite his jovial characteristics, Dalton is still a very dangerous criminal and makes it clear that he did all he did for the monetary gain and for personal enjoyment. In his opening monologue, he appears to have a massive ego, telling the audience directly about his heist with a sense of superiority befitting a man of his knowledge. While he is arrogant, that doesn't make him stupid, as he considered everything before pulling off the bank heist with almost surgical precision. He also has no problem assaulting hostages when they get out of line. However, he still refrains from killing anyone, showing that he possesses a value of human life, but only when it suits himself.
Although Dalton is materialistic and narcissistic, he still maintains a set of standards that he strictly abides by. He never crosses the line of murdering his hostages or Frazier when he attacks him. He merely utilizes fear as a means to get his point across and is exceptionally good at intimidating his hostages with death threats. He even fakes a hostage's execution as a way to get the police away from the bank, which greatly succeeds. When he discovers the despicable actions of Arthur Case, he leaves a clue for Frazier to learn the truth about Case out of disgust and personal pride. He even acknowledges Keith Frazier as a worthy opponent, with him being the only cop on the scene that he is secretly wary of. While it can be argued that he didn't kill anyone because he didn't feel the need for collateral damage, he actions are placed in a morally-grey area where it could’ve gone either way.
In the end, thanks to his cunning, ambiguity and his talent for playing on people's paranoia, he managed to complete all he set out to do without having to waste a human life.
Biography[]
In the beginning...[]
Dalton Russell begins monologuing about how he has committed the "perfect bank robbery." He is hiding inside of a cramped space, where he has been for an undetermined amount of time. He introduces himself: the Who. Dalton describes the surroundings as a cell, but he is not in prison: the What. Then, he begins to describe how he managed to pull off the heist itself: the When. He explains that he did it not only for personal gain, but also because he could pull it off: the Why. And finally, when he arrives to the How, he quotes the Bard that "therein lies the rub."
The Heist commences[]
In a flashback, its revealed that Dalton entered the bank with his associates using the variations of the name "Steve" as aliases. Using inferred lights to take out the cameras, zip-ties to lock the doors and smoke grenades to confuse the outside, the thieves take out their guns and threaten everyone to get down on the floor. As Dalton continues to give orders to not make any moves or else they get shot, a cop notices the commotion outside and decides to investigate. At that moment, Dalton points a gun and exclaims in a fake accent that he has hostages and won't hesitate to shoot them. Back inside, the thieves tell their hostages to put their phones on the floor as they force them downstairs. As a hostage named Peter Hammond claims that he left his phone at home, Dalton threatens that he will kill him if he refuses to hand over his phone. When he refuses to admit that he has it, Dalton starts to search the other phones for his number, which confirms that Peter has it with its ring tone. After that, Dalton takes Peter to a closed office space where he beats him bloody as the hostages watch in fear. After that, no one is willing to stand up to him and his cohorts.
The Hostage Situation[]
As Detectives Keith Frazier and Bill Mitchell meet up with Captain Darius to understand the situation, the thieves order their hostages to put on painter uniforms and masks similar to theirs. As the police mobilize outside, the thieves send out hostages as a way to warn them to not come closer to the bank, with one carrying a deposit box that has a list of demands, such as a plane, and a threat that they will kill a hostage after every hour. As the cops attempt to get control of the situation, the banks owner Arthur Case appears and asks about the process. Suspicious of his sudden interest, the cops say they have it under control. Meanwhile, the thieves start to to tear out pieces of the wall in a service closet, while circulating the hostages through different rooms. As the thieves keep changing the hostages positions, Dalton refuses talks with the police and orders for some food to be delivered. As Dalton and his crew receive the pizza's, Keith attempts to establish rapport with Dalton, which doesn't go well. Afterwards, the cops attempt to listen in through a bug in the pizza tops. When the cops hear foreign language through the bug, they soon realize that the crooks must have figured out what happened and have placed the bug near a repeated loop.
As the crooks eat the food and hang around in the safe, they examine a safe deposit box numbered 392 and examine its contents. It contains some documentation, bags filled with diamonds along with a ring box. As the cops try to learn more about what's happening in the bank, the mayor arrives along with fixer Madeleine White and try to negotiate with Frazier. Madeleine was secretly hired by Case into helping receive the contents of 392 without drawing suspicion to case. Subtly blackmailing Frazier into helping receive the material, Madeleine is disappointed when Frazier denies the offer. Afterwards, Dalton finally answers the police and keeps up with his original demands. When asking for sandwiches, he also stalls for time by asking Frazier about a riddle which he manages to guess correctly with Bill's help. As the conversation continues, the thieves finally dig a hole in the floor of the closet.
Negotiating with Madeleine and Frazier[]
With limited options, Keith agrees to let Madeleine into the bank when she gives Dalton a call that convinces him to see her face to face. After being patted down and allowed entrance, Madeleine discusses the contents and how she can help him avoid jail time if he relinquishes the material. In response, Dalton shows her the documentation which has a swastika printed on the page. It's revealed that Case had secret dealings with the Nazi party and turned over Jewish allies in return for his immense wealth. While claiming that he will hold on to the document as currency so that he never gets arrested, Dalton also says that a persons sins will never go away and the stink of them will attract attention eventually. Promising to make him a wealthy person if he destroys all traces of that document, White leaves.
Unaware of his secret deal with Madeleine and the real reason of he presence, Frazier attempts to bluff Dalton by saying that the plane will take time if he can only confirm the hostages are safe. Reluctantly, Dalton lets him in and shows him that the hostages are safe. They also discuss Frazier's personal life, having been trying to propose to his girlfriend, but he lacks significant funding. Dalton then says that money is irrelevant if you love the person you wish to propose to. As they are about to exit the bank, Frazier attempts to provoke Dalton by attacking him on the stairs. As one of Dalton's associates puts a gun to Frazier's head to prevent him from moving, he is allowed to leave. As Keith exists the bank and returns to the cops, he explains that judging from the fact that Dalton didn't execute him, he's not a killer. However, when the police are ordered to direct the cameras to the window, Dalton appears with a hostage under a sheet. He then takes out a gun and shoots him, his blooding staining the fabric. Angrily, he confronts Dalton for his action and tells him that he knows that he planned every inch of this scheme. While still revealing nothing to Frazier, Dalton begrudgingly admits that he's a lot smarter then any normal cop.
ESU Infiltration and Hostage Resolution[]
Deciding to take action, Darius organizes the ESU by supplying rubber bullets to stop the hostages from coming out due to not knowing who the actual thieves are. Sensing that something is wrong, Frazier examines the box that had the written demands in and realizes that they had bugged it. Dalton was listening in to the police the whole time. With this revelation, Frazier tries to get Darius to hold back, but Darius had already made up his mind. Meanwhile, Dalton orders his crew members to hide among the hostages as the police make a move. Using the remaining smoke grenades and the confusion to his advantage, Dalton orders the hostages to run out of the bank with their hands up. Many people are injured and the police finally storm the bank. Since everyone is wearing identical clothing, it's hard to tell who is a hostage or hostage-taker. Inside, Dalton has dissappeared and there doesn't seem to be any money stolen. Not to mention, there are huge trash bags of plaster in the closet and the thieves guns are actually toys. The execution is soon revealed to be a ruse, with fake blood and a dye pack making it look legit. As the hostage situation has been resolved and no money was taken, Frazier's superiors decide to drop the case, with Frazier reluctantly accepting it but still not forgetting about it.
However, having realized that box number 392 doesn't appear on the bank records, showing that Case is hiding something. He reconnects with Madeleine, who hints about Case's dealing but tells him to drop it as long as he wants to receive a promotion. Again, he declines because he never agreed with the deal and wants to pursue this lead. Frazier reveals that he had secretly recorded her earlier conversation with him on a bugged pen so that he would have leverage on her. Madeleine confronts Case for his crimes, which he reveals that he has been trying to assuage his guilt by doing charity work to atone for his choices. Madeleine takes her payment, but still doesn't absolve Case of his sins as she walks away.
The Reveal[]
Back to the monologue where the film began, Dalton is revealed to actually still be inside the bank. Having dug out the wall in the supply closet and made it livable, he was hiding in that wall for about a week. Since the diamonds were his real target, Dalton knew that Case would never reveal their existence if it meant exposing himself. After the week passed, he exits out of the bank with his prize ironically around the same Frazier and Mitchell investigate the mysterious safe-deposit box. Intentionally running into Frazier, he slips one of the diamonds in his pocket as a gesture of respect. When his co-conspirators waiting outside, he enters the car and one of them asks about the ring. He says that's it's in good hands. In the box, Frazier discovers the ring and a note that says "Follow the Ring." Using the ring and the information, Frazier was able to confront Case and expose him while getting the drop on Madeleine and the mayor. When he returns home to his girlfriend, he finds the diamond, realizing that Dalton was there.
Inside Man: Most Wanted[]
Five years later, Dalton's (real name David Barash) actions caught up with him as he is kidnapped by Arthur's son Dietrich and held captive while his sisters Ava and Ariella pull off a gold heist to get David back. After Dietrich's involvement is revealed he is arrested, but not before David is killed by his men. He does not appear in person throughout the entire film.
Quotes[]
| “ | Everybody get down on the fucking floor now! | „ |
| ~ Dalton taking hostages. |
| “ | Peter, think very carefully about how you answer the next question, because if you get it wrong, your headstone will read, "Here lies Peter Hammond, hero, who valiantly attempted to prevent a *brilliant* bank robbery by trying to hide his cellular phone, but wound up,". . . [presses gun muzzle into Peter's cheek] |
„ |
| ~ Dalton threatening Peter Hammond for his cell phone. |
| “ | Is there anyone else here who is smarter than me? | „ |
| ~ Dalton questioning his hostages after beating up Peter for hiding his phone. |
| “ | Buses, Kojak, or I'll give you two of the longest days of your life. | „ |
| ~ Dalton threatening Det. Keith Frazier to go with his demands. |
| “ | Which weighs more: all the trains that pass through Grand Central Station in a year - or the trees cut down to print all U.S. currency in circulation? Here's a hint. It's a trick question. | „ |
| ~ Dalton's riddle for the police. |
| “ | You're too fucking smart to be a cop. | „ |
| ~ Dalton begrudgingly admitting his respect for Frazier. |
| “ | I'm no martyr. I did it for the money. But it's not worth much if you can't face yourself in the mirror. Respect is the ultimate currency. I was stealing from a man who traded his away for a few dollars. And then he tried to wash away his guilt. Drown it in a lifetime of good deeds and a sea of respectability. It almost worked, too. But inevitably, the further you run from your sins, the more exhausted you are when they catch up to you. And they do. Certain. It will not fail. | „ |
| ~ Dalton revealing his real reasoning for the heist. |
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- Clive Owen appeared in another film that same year, Children of Men, along with his fellow co-star Chiwetel Ejiofor.
- Dalton Russell can be considered a modern-day Robin Hood, for his disgust of the corrupt elite and how he steals from Arthur Case like how Robin of Locksley steals from Prince John and the Sheriff of Nottingham.
- While Arthur Case was the main antagonist of the film, Dalton Russell has a lot more screen-time and pushed the plot of the movie forward.
- Russell can be considered a dark foil to Detective Keith Frazier:
- Both are exceptional at reading people, which makes them able to anticipate each others movements.
- Both are interested in money, but for different reasons; Keith wants money so he can propose to his girlfriend while Dalton is mostly interested in wealth.
- Both are very witty and sociable, which allows them to play off each other.
- Both of them are extreme risk-takers, making big plays in order to get one over on each other.
- The reasoning for Dalton leaving Frazier one of the diamonds was either out of respect for his character, a mocking reminder that Russell beat him, or as a way to compensate Keith for his trouble.
- Since Dalton was wearing a mask and sunglasses for the majority of the heist, the audience rarely sees his face.
- Russell had a mole inside of the bank at the time of the heist: a Jewish man that Russell threatens when his crew first infiltrates the bank.
- A twist in irony is that Arthur Case collaborated with the Nazi Party, which explains why the main would join in Russell's plot.
- The sequel, Most Wanted, reveals that he has two sisters named Ava and Ariella and his real name is David Barash.
- However, considering that the film was produced by a different director, it can be argued that the film is non-canon.