Inside Man

Denzel Washington's dashing detective, Clive Owen's charismatic thief and the most sophisticated bank heist ever portrayed on film. Inside Man is really hard to describe if you haven't come across the specific approach Spike Lee takes to all his films. But if you’re already familiar with his impressive precision, attention to detail, and his careful development of the main characters, you can imagine that two whole hours are not nearly enough for a story full of twists, turns, eavesdropping, political interests, and millions of dollars. The film simply has "balls", there is always something going on, there isn’t a single moment or shot that is superfluous or even meaningless in the sum total, and you can’t help but smile at the entire crew and cast for what a suspenseful and gripping thriller they have made, and in just one building. Even Sydney Lumet and his famous Dog Day Afternoon would applaud it. 95% (2012-11-22)

Luckily Spike Lee hasn’t drowned in commercial waters and managed to film a very pleasant and intelligent picture that he worked some moments from his previous works into. The screenplay starts off with an excellent idea, which makes it all the more surprising that in the end it is the screenplay that is the weakest aspect of this movie, because it isn’t enough for over two hours of running time. Luckily this isn’t completely obvious when you are watching, thanks to Spike, the absolutely perfect casting and a very successful balancing on a knife’s edge between thriller and comedy. Overall, very good, but for me The Negotiator remains the “king" of this type of movie. (2006-04-07)

Overcomplicated and yet unfinished. Spike Lee's storytelling style just doesn't sit well with me. After The 25th Hour, he once again failed to capture my attention in the first half, only to deliver an almost beautiful ending. This was mainly aided by the brilliant Clive Owen, and yet despite its omniscience and supposed lightness, this piece failed in a most striking way. (2006-12-17)

I wouldn’t have thought that a film about a bank heist could include humorous elements, but Spike Lee proved me wrong. The main strength of the film is that something is always happening. The actual bank invasion occurs right at the beginning, and the pace truly doesn’t let up. The cast also contributed significantly, especially the charismatic and cunning thief Clive Owen and Denzel Washington as the detective, who is clever and has some great lines. I also can’t forget to mention Jodie Foster, who delivered an outstanding performance. Don’t expect over-the-top action here, but rather clever dialogues with a really well-crafted story. The music fit the film perfectly (though I should note that I wouldn’t listen to it on its own under normal circumstances). The ending really caught me off guard, as it was original and completely unpredictable. It’s clear that true professionals were involved in this film, which is reflected in its overall quality. I give it 80%. (2017-02-09)

After my second viewing of Inside Man, I’m raising my rating to five stars. This film is as elegant as Denzel Washington’s sleek suit in the final scenes. It is a conscious, intelligent and entertaining flick about a bank robbery that does not need to contain any violence (or thugs) to have balls, and which actually works as a criticism of violence (a parallel with the action game on a little black boy’s PSP display). The actors enjoy it all the way, Spike Lee and Brian Grazer (who kept the budget at an incredible USD 45 million) are amazing, and the final song, “Chaiyya Chaiyya Bollywood Joint”, perfectly captures the emotions of the movie. (2010-02-21)