Keeps You on the Edge of Your Seat

Rating: 10/10 (9 April 2006)

Seeing the previews for "Inside Man" I knew it would be a thinking man's movie. Watching Dalton Russell hold up the bank, one is never entirely sure of the motive behind the robbery. Watching Detective Keith Frazier handle the situation leaves the viewer to think "What would I do in that situation?" Watching Arthur Case pine over his situation leaves one to wonder what his big secret is.
Many may claim the story is simple beyond explanation but I feel they're the people that don't wish to admit something so simple was concealed so cleverly. Granted questions were left unanswered, such as why Russell wanted to expose Arthur Case's secret or how he found out about it in the first place. But one must not overlook the fact that not all questions are answered in complicated situations like these. Case never learned why Russell was looking to blackmail him (other than the possibility of monetary gain) and maybe we weren't meant to either.
The only real problems I have with the movie is that Jodie Foster's character can get a little annoying at times (being a smart alack in most of her on screen time) and it was a little confusing at first when they kept jumping from the action to the post-heist interviews. Regardless of the flaws, however, this is still a movie well worth watching and gripping till the end. If you liked "Lucky Number SLevin" but felt there was too much blood and gore, this is the perfect movie for you.