"My name is Dalton Russell. Pay strict attention to what I say because I choose my words carefully and I never repeat myself. "

Rating: 8/10 (2 April 2006)

One of the most over-done genres of film is the heist movie. They used to be great, with spectacular ones like 'Dog Day Afternoon' and 'The Usual Suspects'. Hell, my favorite movie of all time 'Reservoir Dogs' surrounded the after-math of a heist. In recent years they have ranged in quality from average to terrible and just when I had given up on that as a genre, along comes 'Inside Man'. Not since 2001's 'Ocean's Eleven' have I seen a heist movie so intense, original and solid as 'Inside Man'. Usually I don't care for Spike Lee, but he really does a nice job with this.
I can't really tell you anything elaborate about the plot without spoiling it for you, so I'll tell you it surrounds a New York City bank robbery lead by Dalton Russell (Clive Owen) and the detective running the operation to stop him is the cocky, slick, fancy hat wearing Detective Keith Frazier (Denzel Washington). From there, the action starts. The acting is nothing short of excellent with stunning performances by Washington, Owen, Jodie Foster, Christopher Plummer, Willem Dafoe and Chitwetel Ejiofor. The story is unpredictable and original, and I actually admired the cinematography, the editing and Spike Lee's innovative direction.
'Inside Man' will have you pinned to your seat at some points, laughing hysterically at the puns of the characters at points and will have you frantically guessing through-out the entire run of the film. It's not as powerful as Lee's '25th Hour' which I highly praised, but it's very original and something of good value. I highly recommend it to anyone wanting to escape from most of the puke-inducing foul garbage that seems to be produced by Hollywood more and more often these days. Grade: B+ (**** out of *****) (Screened at AMC Deer Valley 30, Phoenix, Arizona, 4/1/06)