Very Original Hostage-Crisis Thriller

Rating: 8/10 (30 April 2006)

At first sight, "Inside Man" does not seem very original: The plot is about a gang of bank robbers led by Dalton Russel (Owen), who use hostages as leverage towards the police. And yet, as the movie progresses we realize that originality is one of the biggest pluses of the film: We soon begin to suspect that the robbers are after something different than the bank's cash, something that the bank's chairman (Plummer) is willing to do anything to protect it, and to this end he plants Madeleine White (Foster), an enigmatic figure, into the scene. This interference displeases Detective Frazier (Washington) who is in charge of solving the case, as he believes that her presence will make his task harder. Eventually, everybody becomes entangled in a complex web with unpredictable consequences...
Spike Lee has undeniably succeeded in turning a seemingly typical crime film into something much more intriguing. I subscribe to the view expressed by many that this is by far his best and most mature work to date. He manages to keep the tensions high without resorting to extremities, and he also aptly introduces key plot twists that keep us continuously excited. I also enjoyed his portrayal of characters, in which he carefully avoids to grant "hero" status to anyone (not even to Det. Frezier who is arguably the "good" guy of the film), but instead exposes each one's flaws in an objective and realistic manner.
As far acting is concerned, Clive Owen is the big winner here. His performance as the sly and ruthless gang leader is superb, and I definitely value him much higher after seeing this film. Jodie Foster and Denzel Washington are also very good in their respective roles, while Christofer Plummer and Willem Dafoe (who plays the role of a police captain) have small yet significant appearances in the film.
In brief, "Inside Man" is a solid and very original work by Spike Lee which well-deserves 8/10.