Clever, Original, and fun!

Rating: 9/10 (4 April 2006)

I went into this moving not really knowing what to expect. From the previews, it seemed like a typical bank robbery movie, so I was expecting more of the same. Boy was I wrong! "Inside Man" is definitely one of the more original psychological thriller movies I've seen in a while! The beginning of the movie starts off like any other heist movie, but it quickly veers away from the standard movies in that genre after the opening scenes. I won't spoil too much of the story here, so I'll just talk about the various merits of the movie below.
The acting was SUPERB! But then again, that's what one expects with acting powerhouses like Jodi Foster, Denzel Washington, Clive Owen, and Chris Plummer. I wish Jodi Foster's character was expanded more, as she plays the "mysterious but powerful woman" role extremely well in this movie. The mind games that Denzel and Clive play were very well developed throughout the movie, as each is trying to outsmart the other (well, more like one trying to figure out the other). At the end, I just wish we knew a bit more about each of the characters and see them more developed. That is the reason why I give this movie a 9 instead of 10, because it's more about the characters playing a story out than letting us learn more about each of them and who they are.
I think most of the credit must be given to Spike Lee and Russell Gewirtz, the director/writer team, for coming up with such a new spin on bank robbery movies. Throughout the movie, I was just guessing what would happen next, and thinking like Denzel's detective character in the movie. The style of flashing back and forward in time was also very well done, adding complexity to the movie without giving the story away (even though it may seem like it at first).
The only gripe I have about the movie is the lack of explanation of the motives of the bank robbery. Maybe it was left out intentionally to be consistent with the mysteriousness of the entire movie, but I believe it would have made the movie stronger than it is now.
All in all, a great movie, so go check it out!