Feeling Sided.

Rating: Null/10 (31 March 2006)

More cool than good, "Inside Man" gives itself way too much credit. The movie wants to be smart and have as many twists and turns as a large plate of spaghetti, but ultimately the means to get to the point are never fully justified. Troubled police officer Denzel Washington and partner Chiwetel Ejiofor immediately get thrown into the middle of a bank robbery in Manhattan where hostages have been taken. The bank job is led by a cold and calculating sociopath (Clive Owen) who apparently has more motivation than just money. Bank owner Christopher Plummer is mysterious and seems to hold a secret that is at the deepest heart of the production. He hires a cutthroat business negotiator/cover-up artist (Jodie Foster) in the hopes of keeping his secret from the public. Clashes aplenty between Washington and all the other key players (SWAT captain Willem Dafoe included) come at the audience in heavy doses. Washington is the heat here and Owen is the ice. Time elements are jumbled with flash-forwards that add to the complicated puzzle that is the plot. Spike Lee proves that he can go mainstream and does come up with one his better movies of recent memory (I have always felt Lee is somewhat overrated), but "Inside Man" has plot holes galore and if you think about it too long you will realize that you had a lot more fun watching the setup than you had experiencing the payoff. 4 stars out of 5.