A fun movie, but not as good as "Dog Day Afternoon"

Rating: 7/10 (29 August 2008)

Inside Man is a good crime/thriller, but there are better movies in the genre. The director does a great job of keeping the bank robbers mysterious, and their motives hidden. The criminals in this film are very smart, and use some original and ingenious methods to confuse the police. The movie maintains its atmosphere well. The script, acting, and direction are pretty good, but nothing special. The plot line with Jodie Foster's character seems unnecessary and forced at times, which is a shame as Foster is one of my favorite actresses. This movie owes a lot to "Dog Day Afternoon" (even directly mentioning Pacino's movie at one point) but never crosses the line between homage and rip-off. With a traditional plot points combined with some unique ideas, Inside Man is a fun and entertaining crime film.
I give Inside Man 7/10. In addition to "Dog Day Afternoon", try watching "Panic Room" if you enjoyed this movie.