In the movie,Inside Man,what was the purpose of digging a hole in the
basement floor of the bank to find two water pipes?

A friend of mine who has seen the movie says that the hole is
described as "a nice looking shithole." According to my friend, the
hole is apparently Clive Owen's toilet for the week. Perhaps a
Researcher who has seen "Inside Man" can verify this.

Don't feel bad, beryl2-ga, I saw the movie and I have NO idea why the
hole was dug.  But here is what the New York Times reviewer said:
"...you might find yourself trying to unknot the increasingly tangled
plot. Don't bother. Filled with playful noise and nonsense, clever
feints and digressions, "Inside Man" has a story to tell...." So I
guess the hole was one of those feints or digressions.

In the hole were actually 2 small pipes and 1 large pipe.  I
interpreted this to be hot and cold water (the small pipes) and a
drain pipe (the large pipe).  This supplied him with running water
and, ahem, a receptacle for bathroom waste...  :-)

J.

The hole represents the hopelessness and despair of the Human
condition. The pipes represent Good (cold) and Evil (hot, for Hell) as
well as Life (a spring)and Redemption (as a baptism).

Digging the hole shows that Man desires to strive for Good, yet Evil
is always present, but Life and Redemption are ways to overcome the
baser needs and will wash Man clean.