4 is the magic number

Rating: 8/10 (16 August 2006)

When you put Denzel Washington together with Spike Lee, the sparks are pretty much guaranteed to fly. Even with their weakest collaboration, "He Got Game", Denzel still gives one of his best performances ever. With "Inside Man", their fourth collaboration together, you get the satisfaction of both Denzel's solid acting and a genuinely exciting, well told and well acted thriller.
I'm hesitant to discuss the plot but I can definitely say that this movie had my attention all the way through. I, like many others, am pleasantly surprised at Lee's handling of the material, which is a change from his usual fare. With this film and the 25th Hour under his belt, I guess it can be said that Lee can indeed direct a mainstream film.
Clive Owen, Jodie Foster, Willem Dafoe and Christopher Plummer were all excellent. The film's pace never lets up and maybe I'm just misinformed or didn't notice any logistical inaccuracies but I thought that the bank robbery itself was ingenious. The last few minutes of the movie are pretty cool also. When everything becomes clear in the end, you probably won't see it coming and that's probably the biggest reason for me liking this film.
The story is very surprising and very entertaining. It reminded me of those gritty cop drams from the 70's. I strongly recommend this film to all of those looking for an exciting little flick with a good story and great acting.
RATING: **** out of *****.