When a bank robbery at Manhattan Trust spirals into a hostage situation, head negotiator Detective Frazier (Denzel Washington) ensues in a battle of wits against bank robber Dalton Russell (Clive Owen), only for the negotiation to get interesting when highly connected power broker Madeline White (Jodie Foster) comes on the scene with a hidden agenda. 

Inside Man is not your average heist film. A mix of Dog Day Afternoon and The Usual Suspects, Inside Man is a surprising turn for director Spike Lee who continues to impress of late, taking on different genres and making them his own.

Denzel Washington gives a very good performance in his fourth collaboration with Lee. Washington’s use of costume in particular catches your attention, almost looking more like “superfly” than “supercop”. Clive Owen plays the mean bastard very well and is more than able to go toe to toe with Denzel, although his American accent slips from time to time and Jodie Foster gives strong support with her limited amount of screen time. Chiwetel Ejiofor, Willem Dafoe and Christopher Plummer round out an exceptional cast.     

Russell Gerwitz’ script is very good (especially considering this is his first screenplay), Lee bringing the script to life with sharp detail taking his time with every twist and turn stepping up the pace at the right moments. One scene in particular Lee uses his patented ‘glide effect’ to great success as the film shifts into dangerous territory.   

However there are flaws. Lee’s constant desire to introduce racism (especially with white people being the main culprit) in his movies when there is no need for it is starting to get a bit tired. Every white police officer is shown to have some racial prejudice about them, while the scene where a middle eastern hostage is mistaken for a terrorist by said white police officers was out of context and a bit offensive.

The films soundtrack is also a let down (another of Lee’s downfalls), but these things are a given when it comes to a Spike Lee Joint.

Never the less, Inside Man is an enjoyable and intense thriller and a proposed sequel is very much looked forward to.