Inside Man (2006)

Spike Lee's Inside Man, written by Russell Gewirtz, is a modern spin on the classic heist genre. We open with Dalton Russell, played by the charming Clive Owen, speaking directly to the camera explaining his perfect heist. We then see him and his team, dressed in painter's outfits, take over a bank and secure almost fifty hostages.

Will this be another Dog Day Afternoon? Not at all. This is when the standard heist film takes a completely different turn. Denzel Washington, playing negotiator Detective Keith Frazier, enters the storyline to follow the hostage situation playbook only to find that he's being played. We have Jodi Foster, an expense, elite problem solver hired by bank owner, played by Christopher Plummer, to somehow infiltrate the hostage situation to secure some of Plummer's belongings hidden in a safe deposit box.

The way the story unfolds is very intriguing because you quickly realize this film is not going to follow the standard heist clichés, but we are unsure of how the clever storyline will unfold. The cast is extraordinary and each of the name actors are at the top of their game. Lee's direction keeps the pace of the film moving and Gewirtz's script is every bit the mystery that one would hope for in such a film.

The only downside was the music, by Terence Blanchard, which seemed inappropriate and, at times, distracting. Other than that, this is a fun little thriller that follows a path not yet traveled in a heist flick. Good, mainstream, intelligent fun. Check it out.