A rare, intelligent movie

Rating: 9/10 (9 April 2006)

It is like "Do the Right Thing" meets "Dog Day Afternoon" meets "Mission Impossible" meets Alfred Hitchcock. Unlike MI, however, the many fast-paced plot twists and turns make sense. There are pauses for social lessons as Spike Lee can deliver them. The cinematographer takes our eyes on an architecture tour of exteriors and interiors. Denzel Washington is superb as a underpaid, middle-level detective with enough sense to know that he is being conned all the way around, by his city as well as the "perps." Clive Owen is fascinating as the cool and cerebral mastermind. Memorable performances by Jodie Foster and Christopher Plummer, too, as steely cool aristocrats. The plot structure is made more complex with flash-forwards, but they can be followed. We never find out how this plot came to be hatched, but we can surmise when we discover all the conspirators. By all rights, this film should be rewarded next year as Crash was rewarded for teaching about race relations. We'll see.