Film Review: Inside Man (2006) B

Date Viewed: 11/06/06
Venue: DVD





Director Spike Lee is best known for controversial filmmaking, but Inside Man proves his worth as a simple, but effective storyteller.

A well-told heist flick, Inside Man stars Denzel Washington as an up and coming NYPD detective brought in to handle a bank robbery/hostage situation. Leading the gang of masked bandits is Clive Owen, whose self-assured performance easily carries the film (an impressive accomplishment considering he wears a mask and sunglasses for the majority of the picture). Lee does a fine job depicting the matching of wits between the police and Owen’s criminals, as well as portraying New York itself as a character.

The only stumbles arise out of a few out-of-place racial disputes (Spike Lee is still…well, Spike Lee, you know) and an overly complicated political subplot with Jodie Foster and Christopher Plummer (whose role is quite funny if you think of him as Mr. Van Trapp) that just get in the way of the Clive/Denzel dynamic.

Overall, Inside Man is a very solid, entertaining film with memorable performances, (almost) airtight logic, and a satisfying resolution.