A pretty good ride

Rating: 7/10 (8 May 2006)

With all this star power, I must say I expected a bit more, but as thrillers go, Inside Man kept me on the edge. Every time I thought I had figured out what was going on, something changed. Some of it was predictable, but as a movie-going experience, it was a pleasant way to spend the afternoon. There were a few clever bits, and some hard to fathom, and some just plain hard to follow. Dialogue was decent if not sometimes stilted. Jody Foster's character did not fit in fluidly with her "I've got something on everyone under the sun" machismo. It was hard to understand her character--a little too black and white. Denzel is always great, but had many predictable lines. Between editing and dialogue, it was sometimes a little too clever for its own good. A plot this complex invites the audience to become a bit picky on believability issues. My first objection was why the NYC Police were running the show when bank robberies fall under federal jurisdiction. Where was the FBI? And why was a substitute, detective second- class, who was already in hot water with his dept. running the show in the biggest crime scene (at least in manpower) to hit New York in at least a month. Denzel's wardrobe left me wondering whether Columbo was the model for his character. With all the pickiness, it was still an enjoyable, if not a forgettable performance.