Review of Inside Man (2006) by Greg L — 09 Apr 2010

While it does leave some of its myriad plot threads frustratingly under-resolved in the denouement, this is on the whole a much better than average crime thriller. Washington, Ejiofor, and Dafoe all give believable performances as New York City cops matching wits with Clive Owen's clever bank robber, Christopher Plummer and Jodie Foster are both very good in supporting roles, and the story keeps you guessing to the end without relying on gimmicky plot twists, but what really makes the movie is Spike Lee's direction.

As a native New Yorker he has both a strong sense of the city's physical environs and a keen eye for its sociological structures and post-9/11 social tensions, and those advantages give this movie an authentic feel that run-of-the-mill heist films often lack.

Without question it's one of his best efforts of recent years.