A classy Spike joint.

Rating: 7/10 (10 December 2006)

"Pouring new wine into the bottle of the Western, Peckinpah explodes the bottle" Pauline kael once remarked of Sam Peckinpah. Spike Lee doesn't quite break the aged bottle of the heist picture, but he shakes some dust off. And I reckon Bloody Sam would have liked what he poured.
Not in terms of violence. It's a little hectic, but there's no bloody showdowns. But there's an old time slickness about the shooting, a polish and finesse that todays crop of hacks couldn't touch with their epilepsy inducing ADHD shooting styles.
That said, the stylish touches manage not to weigh down a brisk, thoughtful, and above all original script. You think you know where it's going, you even guess some of the twists, but like any devoted student of film history Spike manages to send the viewer down a few blind alleys, a few dead ends, and some ultimately rewarding unexpected detours.
Denzal Washington is, as ever, pure class, making it look effortless in a way De Niro once did, but without piling on the worthiness or shedding a touch of light humour. Clive Owen is solid, more then able to hold up intervals that may have lulled under lessor directors. Jody Fosters role, effectively a cameo, felt like stunt casting but was a nice touch (a somewhat out of character role for Foster, in line with her more recent voyages of discovery). The whole cast were up to Spike Lee's normal high ensemble standard, no one underused or underplayed, no one trying to run away with the show.
Well worth two hours of anyones time. The likes of Brett Ratner should bring a notepad and pencil, learn a few things.