Quartile rating: 8/10 · 1 rating
When an armed, masked gang enter a Manhattan bank, lock the doors and take hostages, the detective assigned to effect their release enters negotiations preoccupied with corruption charges he is facing.
Inside Man is a smartly constructed heist thriller elevated by a clever screenplay that subverts genre expectations. The plot's central twist — the nature of the 'robbery' — is genuinely clever and well-executed. Denzel Washington, Clive Owen, and Jodie Foster deliver sharp, charismatic performances that elevate the material considerably. Spike Lee's direction is confident but the cinematography, while competent, is fairly workmanlike for the genre. The film's novelty lies in its narrative structure and the slow reveal of the true scheme, though it still operates within familiar heist-thriller conventions. The ending is satisfying and ties the threads together well, though it doesn't quite deliver the gut-punch its setup promises.