Inside Man
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When an armed, masked gang enter a Manhattan bank, lock the doors and take hostages, the detective assigned to effect their release enters negotiations preoccupied with corruption charges he is facing.
What critics thought
Spike Lee's bank-heist thriller landed as a crowd-pleasing genre exercise that surprised many critics precisely because it came from Lee — a director not previously known for straight entertainment. Most found the screenplay sharp, the ensemble cast formidable, and the New York texture vivid; the debate was whether the film's climactic payoff actually justified the slow build, with a vocal minority finding the whole enterprise contrived and the resolution unconvincing.
“Inside Man works because it takes a familiar setup—in this case, a Wall Street bank heist that mutates into a hostage crisis—and twists it ever so slightly. A particularly solid screenplay helps here, as do stars who can actually act ... along with an excellent supporting cast and the best lineup of pusses and mugs outside The Sopranos.”
Manohla Dargis·The New York Times
“It's certainly a Spike Lee film, but no Spike Lee Joint. Still, he's delivered a pacy, vigorous and frequently masterful take on a well-worn genre. Thanks to some slick lens work and a cast on cracking form, Lee proves (perhaps above all to himself?) that playing it straight is not always a bad thing.”
Empire
“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 understand another.”
Roger Ebert·Chicago Sun-Times
“Inside Man has two things going for it: better actors than usual and a slicker look. Otherwise, it's no different from nine out of 10 other preposterous, contrived, confusingly written, unevenly directed, pointless and forgettable junk films we've been getting these days.”
Rex Reed·The New York Observer
Genres
Crime, Drama, Mystery
Cast & Crew
Spike LeeDirector
Denzel WashingtonKeith Frazier
Clive OwenDalton Russell
Jodie FosterMadeleine White
Christopher PlummerArthur Case
Willem DafoeJohn Darius
Chiwetel EjioforBill Mitchell
Carlos Andrés GómezSteve
Kim DirectorStevie
James RansoneSteve-O
Bernie RachelleChaim
Peter GeretyCaptain Coughlin
Victor ColicchioSergeant Collins
Terence BlanchardComposer
Matthew LibatiqueCinematographyInside Man
When an armed, masked gang enter a Manhattan bank, lock the doors and take hostages, the detective assigned to effect their release enters negotiations preoccupied with corruption charges he is facing.
What critics thought
Spike Lee's bank-heist thriller landed as a crowd-pleasing genre exercise that surprised many critics precisely because it came from Lee — a director not previously known for straight entertainment. Most found the screenplay sharp, the ensemble cast formidable, and the New York texture vivid; the debate was whether the film's climactic payoff actually justified the slow build, with a vocal minority finding the whole enterprise contrived and the resolution unconvincing.
“Inside Man works because it takes a familiar setup—in this case, a Wall Street bank heist that mutates into a hostage crisis—and twists it ever so slightly. A particularly solid screenplay helps here, as do stars who can actually act ... along with an excellent supporting cast and the best lineup of pusses and mugs outside The Sopranos.”
Manohla Dargis·The New York Times
“It's certainly a Spike Lee film, but no Spike Lee Joint. Still, he's delivered a pacy, vigorous and frequently masterful take on a well-worn genre. Thanks to some slick lens work and a cast on cracking form, Lee proves (perhaps above all to himself?) that playing it straight is not always a bad thing.”
Empire
“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 understand another.”
Roger Ebert·Chicago Sun-Times
“Inside Man has two things going for it: better actors than usual and a slicker look. Otherwise, it's no different from nine out of 10 other preposterous, contrived, confusingly written, unevenly directed, pointless and forgettable junk films we've been getting these days.”
Rex Reed·The New York Observer
Genres
Crime, Drama, Mystery
Cast & Crew
Spike LeeDirectorDenzel WashingtonKeith FrazierClive OwenDalton RussellJodie FosterMadeleine WhiteChristopher PlummerArthur CaseWillem DafoeJohn DariusChiwetel EjioforBill MitchellCarlos Andrés GómezSteveKim DirectorStevieJames RansoneSteve-OBernie RachelleChaimPeter GeretyCaptain CoughlinVictor ColicchioSergeant CollinsTerence BlanchardComposerMatthew LibatiqueCinematographyStream
Rent & Buy