Chiwetel Ejiofor, Christopher Plummer, Clive Owen

"Inside Man" is the story of a tough cop, Detective Frazier (Denzel Washington), who matches wits with a clever bank robber, Dalton (Clive Owen), in a tense hostage drama. As the dangerous cat-and-mou...( read more  read more... )se game unfolds, a wild card emerges: Madeline (Jodie Foster), a power broker with a hidden agenda, who injects even more instability into an already volatile situation.

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81% liked it

146,947 ratings

Critics

86% liked it

193 critics

R, 2 hrs. 9 min.

Directed by: Spike Lee

Release Date: March 24, 2006

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DVD Release Date: August 8, 2006

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Stats: 18,981 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (18,981)


  • September 3, 2009
    A decent 'Bank Job' movie with an original twist.
  • September 2, 2009
    Review to come at some stage
  • June 4, 2009
    Good plot, solid ending, I enjoyed it, good rent!
  • May 31, 2009
    One of the most brilliant heist movies of recent years about a bank robbery where things are never like they seem to be. A great cast delivers excellent performances and dialogues, even though Jodie Fosters character could easily have been left out it's still a nice addition to C...( read more)live Owen and Denzel Washington being awesome. Saying more than that about the plot should be against the law. Even though the movie maybe could have been 10 minutes shorter, it is nice how detailed it is. The Bond-esque soundtrack is wonderfully pompous, the camera work outstanding. Intelligent, exciting and entertaining: Not Spike Lee's most important film, but easily his best.
  • January 19, 2009
    I'm normally mixed about watching Spike Lee films. I often very happily go in to see them (well, I can't say I've ever seen one in a theatre, so "going in" is technically not accurate, but you get the idea), but am wary of Spike's attitude, of which I am not a fan. I've ranted nu...( read more)merous times about the feelings I have about Spike Lee as a person, but it's worth noting that all of his films that I've seen have been excellent as films, so long as I keep Spike away from it in any commentator capacity.* The presence of actors I have a more comfortable feeling about is certainly helpful (Turturro, for instance), and this one has Denzel Washington, Willem DaFoe, Jodie Foster and Clive Owen. I'd also understood it to be a more "populist" film, and thus less likely to include the little pieces of the Spike attitude that annoy me (such as his decision to try and get an injunction against SpikeTV for trading on his name).

    Detectives Keith Frazier (Washington) and Bill Mitchell (Chiwetel Ejiofor) are two New York City policeman who are out of favour for big cases, but have been asking for a change in this. A group of people dressed as painters who appear in a bank only to lock it down and take everyone in it hostage gives them their opportunity, and they are sent in to take control of the situation. In control of the tactical team stationed at the crime scene is Captain John Darius (DaFoe), who has a brief clash with Frazier, who is unfamiliar to him. The painters, who all call each other a variation of "Steve," are led by Dalton Russell (Owen), who introduces the film. Russell is ultra-confident and has no doubts about his control of the situation, not even becoming bemused at the thought of playing with the cops who are trying to stop him. They prevent outside phone calls or any other attempts at gaining outside help by confiscating all cell phones and keys, then dress all of the hostages just like themselves. Arthur Case (Christopher Plummer), who founded and owns the bank is upset to find out which bank is being robbed and immediately calls in under-the-radar cleaner Madeleine White (Foster) to try to negotiate outside the police force in order to keep something safe which he refuses to describe. When the bank is finally cleared, Frazier and Mitchell are left lost as to what crime was intended in the painters' entry, as no clear motivation appears. Told to drop it, Frazier cannot deny his instincts and pursues it to its end.

    The first question I had as I started to watch the film was whether this film was perfectly populist and un-Spike, or if it was just a more populist but still-Spike film. The Russell Gerwitz script is not in line with the race-obsessed tendencies of Spike, but doesn't shy away from that important issue (though it is not, as Spike often seems to believe, the only important issue), especially in conversations between officers and in the interrogations of the hostages and painters from the bank (who are indiscernible for the cops), which even gets into the old "post 9/11" mentalities. It's always refreshing to me to see Spike get into bias against other races or groupings, as it brings a sigh of relief that Spike does recognize other people are and have been oppressed or judged unfairly. The scenes with Waris Ahluwalia as Vikram Walia are the most intelligent of these, addressing simplistic bias and judgment, but showing that Do the Right Thing spark of recognizing the way that people also treat prejudices with tongue-in-cheek sometimes, or occasionally even both those having them and those suffering them smirk at mutually seeing a truth in them.

    The focus, though, is on the events and the plotting and planning of Dalton Russell. Viewers will likely spend most of the movie attempting to determine who is the titular inside man--is there a cop working with the robbers? A cop in the bank? A robber in the cops? Or maybe it's all a load of bollocks and some jackass producer thought that would be a "neat title," and it has no relevance whatsoever? There are hints and paths that can lead a conscientious viewer to many conclusions prior to the film's own conclusion, but it takes a full viewing to be sure of how to interpret the title (and that interpretation may be that cynical last one, I shan't clarify). Puzzling out Russell's seemingly inexplicable confidence, even in the face of those cultural references that are thrown out (Dog Day Afternoon, especially). Frazier is smart enough to be aware of some telling moments in Russell's actions, but still can't quite get the last piece to understand why Russell is doing it at all--any more than most viewers can. The final explanation of it is a surprise, but not an O. Henry twist (or even a telegraphed twist in the fashion of certain egotistical directors of the modern age), it's simple a re-purposing of the entire film, but fluidly and naturally. It's not perfectly satisfying or fulfilling, but by no means is it a letdown either.

    The actors are all in professional form, with Owen giving his usual flat vocal (all I can figure is he's concentrating on eliminating his accent) performance that somehow works anyway behind his strong physical presence. He makes for an interesting actor in this capacity, managing to vary his roles despite all that, though I'm not sure I've caught exactly how he does it. He seems very close to his role as Dwight, but has not got the menace of it, though a similar level of confidence. Denzel's role is the kind he often has as a cop (I should say I have not seen Training Day yet), a sort of smart smart-ass, aware of his surroundings and devoted to his job, but with a peculiar edge that keeps him separate from most of the people around him. It's mostly their show though, the two of them, with Russell playing with Frazier, but Frazier still trying to figure out what game they're even playing. While there are strong performances from the supporting cast, they are mostly just there as support, and no one jumps out particularly.

    In the end, though, the film is much like its own ending--a bit of a surprise, but nothing earthshaking nor disappointing at the same time.

    *His comments on the Italian anti-Partisans, the responses he's had in classroom discussions about Do the Right Thing, his bizarre hypocrisies...Yes, there are clear issues here that I have. No, it is not because he is black. It is all about his ego.
  • November 5, 2009
    Denzel and Clive are like butta baby
  • November 2, 2009
    I've seen allot of heist films that try to give you a mind blowing twist and sufficient action to sustain you all the way through the illogical plot and the boring story. Inside Man side steps that and gives you a fresh, original and exceedingly smart cat and mouse game t...( read more)he likes you've never seen.




    Inside Man was a film I heard of in passing from a friend of mine(as you may know my friends have terrible taste in movies.) He told me this movie sucked so bad that it wasn't even funny. I'm glad that I didn't listen to him or I would have never had the chance to see this amazing and brilliant heist film. Spike Lee has crafted an immensely entertaining and unique movie experience the likes of which no ones has ever seen. It's cunning and ruthless in the way it plays out but subtle and at a steady of enough pace that you can follow the story as it goes along. But none the less Spike Lee's Inside Man is nothing short of brilliant and breathtaking.




    Denzel Washington(who rocks the house in this one.) Is again at his best in his second outing with director Spike Lee. Washington brings the class, the style and ferocity to this movie as the brilliant and slightly jaded hostage negotiator. Clive Owen(Who really steals the show in this.) Is nothing short of brilliant, cunning, ruthless and resourceful as the slick mastermind of the heist. Jodie Foster is at her cut throat best in this as the powerful broker, she really is something amazing to watch and at the same time you want to kill her. But none the less the cast does magnificently in this outrageoulsy cool crime caper.





    Inside Man is something you don't see coming, it's a film that has a twist that blows you away and at the same times leaves you wondering how they did it. It's a truly compelling and sinister heist film that is like nothing you've ever seen before or will ever see again for that matter. All in all Inside Man delivers.
  • October 26, 2009
    Oooooh sexy stylish movie.
    i love it!
    fantastic cast fantastic acting and a fantastic storyline that gives you twists and turns like you'd never believe and at the end you think wow that is awesome.
    really good movie about a bank heist that is smarter than any other bank heist...( read more) in the world with clive owen playing the theif!
    its a brilliatn clever stylish sexy entertaining and seriously enjoying movie that shouldnt be missd at all!
  • October 25, 2009
    kk.....not as gd as i hoped
    clive owen was gr8 but evry1 else were useless.
  • October 22, 2009
    One of the better bank heist movies ever made. Owen's character was incredible. The movie told yopu the whole time there would be a big twist at the end, but never went far enough to give it away. Sequel is supposedly coming out in 2010, last "job" sequel i seen was Oceans 12, an...( read more)d i hated it, hope this series doesn't follow the same route.

Critic Reviews


March 24, 2006
Moira MacDonald, Seattle Times

Inside Man is a potboiler, but an intriguing one; perhaps Lee should go Hollywood more often. full review

March 24, 2006
Claudia Puig, USA Today

Exceptionally well written with clever twists and witty dialogue by first-time screenwriter Russell Gewirtz, Inside Man is adroitly executed by director Spike Lee. full review

March 24, 2006
Amy Biancolli, Houston Chronicle

Inside Man may be a genre flick, but its direction is certifiably Lee -- sprinkled with trademark themes and visual cues, including his specialty, the strapped-to-a-factory-belt dolly shot. full review

March 23, 2006
Stephanie Zacharek, Salon.com

With Inside Man -- an ostensibly straightforward, old-fashioned heist movie -- Spike Lee brings together the old New York and the new. full review

March 23, 2006
Colin Covert, The Minneapolis Star Tribune

Inside Man marries some ingenious caper ideas to Lee's superb feel for ethnic politics. full review

March 23, 2006
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

Here is a thriller that's curiously reluctant to get to the payoff, and when it does, we see why: We can't accept the motive and method of the bank robbery, we can't believe in one character and can't... full review

March 23, 2006
David Edelstein, New York Magazine

The normally subversive Spike Lee takes a rare genial tack. full review

March 21, 2006
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone

Washington has the kind of star quality other actors would die for: unfakeable cool. full review

March 20, 2006
Anthony Lane, The New Yorker

The more it sags as a thriller, the more it jabs and jangles as a study of racial abrasion. full review

View more Inside Man reviews at RottenTomatoes.com

Comments


  • thefog1331
    September 18, 2007
    Haha! The info on this page reads: "Directed by: No information available."
    That's great. And as it should be. He sucks so horribly bad.
  • dutchchinaman
    April 28, 2007
    this was a gud movie it kept me thinkn gud actors too
  • chrismid259
    April 17, 2007
    I agree, im surprised no one has made a skin for this yet. Great movie, watched it twice now. Its one of those films that you can like every time you watch it and never get bored of it.
  • boss0007
    January 12, 2007
    Its a very gr8 movie. Full of suspense frm the start till end. Jodi Foster is given a limited and suckin role. She shuld not signed tht movie.

    Owen was gr8 in it. Worked very hard.

    Give 5 to it man...
  • hoovervac64
    January 7, 2007
    I dont usually like theses movies, but this was really great and it had an awsome twist to it.
  • BlueEyore77
    November 29, 2006
    i think someone should make a skin for this movie. its way cool! one of my favorites ever
  • jerrynation
    August 14, 2006
    Spike Lee, Denzel Washington, Clive Owen, Jodie Foster, ahhhhhhhh let me take a breath this is a bomb. Dont doubt to watch it is obvious that it cant be bad and it worth it.
    I hope Johnny Depp watch this movie or just the the first minute and 45 seconds, so he can learn what is a great prelude or prologue, just watch the incredible art development as a performer of Clive Owen and the great character not so well cook by Mr. Depp in the first minutes of The Libertine.
  • niserron
    August 8, 2006
    Different from your normal rob-a-bank movie. I liked it.
  • CaptainBlacktooth
    August 7, 2006
    Great Story, Denzel was great as always
  • ervarl
    August 7, 2006
    i didnt think that i would like this film much, but after seeing it i have to say that it is one of the best films i have seen for a long time. it is very thought pravoking and very clever. the storyline is very clever and the twist at the end is fantastic, overall this is a great film.

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

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Inside Man Trivia


  • Which actor got closer to Julia Roberts, was derailed with Jennifer Aniston, and was an inside man fooling Jodie Foster?   Answer »
  • who was the ringleader of the bank robbery in the Inside man?  Answer »
  • What song was featured as THE INSIDE MAN"'s theme song?  Answer »
  • Which actress has starred in all of the following films? Taxi Driver Contact Inside Man The Accused  Answer »

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