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% (22/11/2012)

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. (21/02/2010)

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. (22/07/2007)

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%. (09/02/2017)

An elegant stylish crime film with an intelligent script, likable characters, several twists, and an unexpected ending. That's exactly the kind of movie I like - it keeps me in suspense throughout the duration and pleases me at the end. It has a very decent cast, where Clive Owen and Jodie Foster naturally dominate. Overall impression: 90%. Spike Lee doesn't need almost any action to create an atmosphere, as he relies on perspective and the cleverness of his heroes. (02/06/2010)