Amateur's script attracts the best
March 27th, 2006
Amateur's script attracts the best
Two Oscar-winning actors and director Spike Lee team up for 'Inside Man'
By Susan King
Los Angeles Times
HOLLYWOOD -- Seven years ago, Russell Gewirtz and his father profited handsomely from the sale of one of the family's clothing stores in New York City.
"We made a lot of money from the property," said Gewirtz, a former attorney. "So when I was 33, I found myself with a nice nest egg and no real career in front of me."
For the next few years, he lived a life of champagne wishes and caviar dreams as he traveled between Cannes, Brazil and Miami Beach. It was during his travels that he began to write the screenplay to the heist thriller "Inside Man," which opened Friday. Directed by Spike Lee -- "Inside Man" is one of the few films the filmmaker didn't write or co-write -- the film revolves around a New York detective (Denzel Washington) called in to negotiate a hostage situation at a bank. Clive Owen plays the thieves' ringleader, and Jodie Foster is a manipulative power player. Gewirtz, now 40, admitted that having his first screenplay turned into a major feature starring two Oscar winners is something of a "fairy tale." "I had never studied screenwriting," he said. "I just watched a lot of movies."
read more
By Susan King
Los Angeles Times
HOLLYWOOD -- Seven years ago, Russell Gewirtz and his father profited handsomely from the sale of one of the family's clothing stores in New York City.
"We made a lot of money from the property," said Gewirtz, a former attorney. "So when I was 33, I found myself with a nice nest egg and no real career in front of me."
For the next few years, he lived a life of champagne wishes and caviar dreams as he traveled between Cannes, Brazil and Miami Beach. It was during his travels that he began to write the screenplay to the heist thriller "Inside Man," which opened Friday. Directed by Spike Lee -- "Inside Man" is one of the few films the filmmaker didn't write or co-write -- the film revolves around a New York detective (Denzel Washington) called in to negotiate a hostage situation at a bank. Clive Owen plays the thieves' ringleader, and Jodie Foster is a manipulative power player. Gewirtz, now 40, admitted that having his first screenplay turned into a major feature starring two Oscar winners is something of a "fairy tale." "I had never studied screenwriting," he said. "I just watched a lot of movies."
read more
Comments
Only logged-in members can comment. You can log in or join today for free!
Advertisement
