A crime film that will have you cheering for the bank robbers

Rating: 6/10 (13 March 2006)

Let me start off by saying I am not a Spike Lee fan. That said, this is not your average Spike Lee movie.
The premise off the movie is a group of bank robbers led by Clive Owen under the alias of different versions of the name "steve" pull off a bank heist taking hostages. Denzel Washington comes to save the day as the chief negotiator who is under review for some embezzlement issues. The usually smart criminal throws the dumb cops on several wild goose chases scenario plays out in full, but is beefed up with an extra storyline including Jodie Foster and Christopher Plummer.
Although the movie is smart it just fails on every single level. Not once was I able to take the police officers seriously because they were all making painstakingly stupid decisions and Denzel's incurious cop persona.
The composer from the music must suffer from a form of ADD. The music leaps genres in a matter of cuts and takes you completely out of the movie experience.
The last complaint is the ending. The movie just drags way too long in the end and when you finally reach the conclusion it isn't baffling at all. You knew it would happen. You knew it a mile away because that is the only smart way to end this dragged out mess of things.
The plus side of the movie is that Clive Owen and the bank robbers are highly enjoyable to watch. Its fun to see how they work and how they treat all the hostages. Maybe thats sick of me, but when Denzel keeps cracking out stupid jokes and all his cohorts force acting their laughs watching Clive Owen bully people around is far cooler.
Congrats Spike Lee and Denzel Washington. You both continue to be overrated artists.