Inside Man

A very pleasant surprise. At the beginning Inside Man seems like a simple bank robbery movie, but it would have to be made by someone else and not Spike Lee for this to be true. Whatever you think might happen you will be wrong and that’s the magic of the whole movie which is filled with great acting performances. Clive Owen is cool even though his face is hidden behind a mask throughout the movie and I just dig his cool, languid walk. Denzel Washington is a pleasantly down to earth policeman and Willem Dafoe doesn’t play a baddy for a change. Simply a movie full of surprises. Pleasant surprises. (2006-09-29)

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%. (2017-02-08)

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)

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)

A perfect way to fool the viewer, after all, it's not about the robbery. Spike Lee excels in his typical side aspects: political incorrectness and lots of smaller or larger race references in all possible forms, so no one should be surprised that the robbery, so tempting and full of ideas at first glance, is ultimately incredibly simple. This thematic mix had to have some structure. The cast is excellent – especially Denzel Washington and Christopher Plummer. In essence, there’s nothing breathtaking, but the dialogues are so fierce and current that you will gladly watch it again. This is how a multi-thematic film without a proper theme is made. (2007-07-22)