Inside Man (2006)
Average Rating: 7.3/10
Reviews Counted: 195
Fresh: 168 | Rotten: 27
Spike Lee's energetic and clever bank-heist thriller touches on questions of race and class without taking away from the tension and fun of the cat-and-mouse games between a hostage negotiator (Denzel Washington), a bank robber (Clive Owen), and a high-powered fixer (Jodie Foster). Inside Man puts a spin on the Dog Day Afternoon scenario, with a group of sharp bank robbers who stay one step ahead of the police; it's a smart genre film that is not only rewarding on its own terms, but manages to subvert its pulpy trappings with wit and skill.
Average Rating: 7.4/10
Critic Reviews: 44
Fresh: 39 | Rotten: 5
Spike Lee's energetic and clever bank-heist thriller touches on questions of race and class without taking away from the tension and fun of the cat-and-mouse games between a hostage negotiator (Denzel Washington), a bank robber (Clive Owen), and a high-powered fixer (Jodie Foster). Inside Man puts a spin on the Dog Day Afternoon scenario, with a group of sharp bank robbers who stay one step ahead of the police; it's a smart genre film that is not only rewarding on its own terms, but manages to subvert its pulpy trappings with wit and skill.
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Average Rating: 3.7/5
User Ratings: 319,552
My Rating
Movie Info
The volatile showdown between a determined cop and a perfectionist bank robber is sent spiraling toward disaster when a scheming power broker steps in to take control of the situation in this hair-raising heist flick directed by Spike Lee and starring Denzel Washington, Clive Owen, and Jodie Foster. Dalton Russell (Owen) is a bank robber with a difference. In his quest to execute the perfect heist, Dalton has taken every possible factor into consideration. Dalton's uncanny ability of staying one
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Cast
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Denzel Washington
Detective Keith Frazier -
Clive Owen
Dalton Russell -
Jodie Foster
Madeline White -
Christopher Plummer
Arthur Case -
Willem Dafoe
Capt. John Darius -
Chiwetel Ejiofor
Det. Bill Mitchell -
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David Brown
Officer Carnow -
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All Critics (200) | Top Critics (44) | Fresh (175) | Rotten (28) | DVD (33)
[A] wily thriller, which revitalizes a familiar premise by turning it inside out.
As unexpected as some of its plot twists is the fact that this unapologetic genre movie was directed by Spike Lee, who has never sold himself as Mr. Entertainment. But here it is, a Spike Lee joint that's downright fun.
A slick, kinetic and relatively straightforward -- which is to say enjoyably twisty-turny -- tranche of cat-and-mouse procedural.
Top CriticI gloried in the sheer spectacle of Jodie Foster as Madeline White, an exquisitely groomed, fearlessly feline fixer striding on her high heels and her high horse into one supposedly perilous situation after another.
It's very satisfying.
Even past the midway point, it's all working -- it's taut, it's funny, it's trenchant, it's stylish. And then it isn't.
The lack of characterization of the robbers, while true to the structure of the story, makes it seem a bit flat. At the end of the day, it's not really about anything; it's just a bunch of stuff that happens. But it's a bunch of stuff that's fun to watch.
An intelligent, invigoratingly airtight caper and a love letter to New York on crumpled, coffee-stained paper, "Inside Man" is the best kind of Spike Lee joint - one where he doesn't stumble over his sledgehammer before swinging it.
A limp ride that, for all the shove of the camera and the grabby intimations of buried corruption, is no different from a John McTiernan Joint
Universal's Blu-ray release presents the film in top quality, although the special features are a bit slight.
... remains consistently watchable as a mechanical exercise.
Since bankrupting his film production company with dreadful movies like "Bamboozled" and "He Hate Me" Spike Lee now works as a Hollywood gun-for-hire creating a blasé and muddy suspense police drama.
Inside Man is the Spike Lee film for people who don't go to see Spike Lee films, and it's also a fun treat for people who see everything the man does.
Smart heist movie is not for children.
An enjoyable, polished thriller, ideal for Friday night entertainment.
[Lee] nails the irritable yet alive soul of New York -- particularly, now, New York post-9/11 -- better than anyone else.
With a few notable exceptions, there's little of Mr. Lee's trademark style anywhere to be seen. And he is sorely missed.
the apotheosis of its genre, honing the heist siege flick to the perfection of a diamond. See it, and be dazzled.
A tepid potboiler that never even reaches room temperature.
Supremely annoying and nonsensical.
Audience Reviews for Inside Man
Super Reviewer
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- Det. Bill Mitchell: Let me see your shoe.
- Detective Keith Frazier: Why?
- Det. Bill Mitchell: 'cause I have never seen anybody put their foot that far up...
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- Dalton Russell: This time next week I'll be sucking down pina coladas in a hot tub with six girls named Emily and Tiffany.
- Detective Keith Frazier: More like taking a shower with two guys named Jamal and Jesus, if you know what I mean. And here's the bad news: that thing you're sucking on? It's not a pina colada.
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- Dalton Russell: Fact is, all lies, all evil deeds, they stink. You can cover them up for a while, but they don't go away.
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- Dalton Russell: My name is Dalton Russell. Pay strict attention to what I say because I choose my words carefully and I never repeat myself. I've told you my name: that's the Who. The Where could most readily be described as a prison cell. But there's a vast difference between being stuck in a tiny cell and being in prison. The What is easy: recently I planned and set in motion events to execute the perfect bank robbery. That's also the When. As for the Why: beyond the obvious financial motivation, it's exceedingly simple... because I can. Which leaves us only with the How; and therein, as the Bard would tell us, lies the rub.
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Latest News on Inside Man
January 19, 2009:
Spike Lee Talks Inside Man 2Speaking to MTV from Sundance, Spike Lee has revealed that work on "Inside Man 2" is moving along,...
September 8, 2008:
Spike Lee Finds Another Inside ManSpike Lee is working on a sequel to "Inside Man" for Universal, with Terry George in negotiations to...
November 1, 2007:
Box Office Guru Preview: Bees and Gangsters Slug It Out For #1 SpotFollowing a sluggish fall season, November kicks off with a bang this weekend with two high profile...
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Foreign Titles
- Inside Man - l'homme de l'intérieur (FR)
Twisty and quite impressive screenplay from a first timer Russell Gewirtz is a major plus here and without it the whole film would possibly fall into cliched category of all too familiar heist-films. At his worst director Spike Lee can be very preachy and too often he focuses on giving a moral lectures than telling just a good story. His films like Malcolm X, Clockers or Get on the Bus are all examples of those kind of films. But when he is good he can be very good like he was with his overlooked Miracle at St. Anna. It nice to see that with Inside Man Lee is obviously having fun and aims much more for the entertainment than lecturing. There are unnecessary moments of tension between races but overall Lee is keeping it toned down this time.
With impresive cinematography by Matthew Libatique and powerful musical support from Terence Blanchard, Lee paints a slightly more expressionistic heist film than we are used to see. There are some of typical visual trademarks of his to be found here. Many fans of Lee will notice the use of bleached colours in some scenes and characters addressing straight to camera is also another typical method from Lee. These nice little auteurist touches of him makes Inside Man work slightly much better than average heist films. Cast is solid with names like Clive Owen, Denzel Washington, Christopher Plummer and Jodie Foster on the top of their game here.
Inside Man might not be anything groundbreaking or new but it is a entertaining and suspenseful way to spend two hours.