Review of Inside Man (2006) by [Anonymous] — 11 Apr 2006

No one can deny that this movie has a great cast. The acting is terrific. The directing is classic Spike Lee--brilliant at times, but he takes every chance to work in commentary about race, religion and ethnicity.

All in all, this movie presents a good picture and the plot depicts what would be a brilliant heist if it were true. However, there are serious flaws in the plot (which are gracefully glossed over by expert acting), but the end result is that we really don't know the various character's motivations for their behavior.

At one point we are told by one of the theives "I did it for the money", but that doesn't seem to add up with what was taken. Similarly I'm still trying to figure out exactly what motivated Denzel to bring Jodie a telephone number in one of the last scenes.

The sequence of the movie is expertly executed to both provide hints and keep you guessing. Denzel's character is likeable, funny and feels real. Jodie Foster's character is a bit unbelievable in terms of profession.

Oh, and keep an eye out for the Albanian woman. I thought she was excellent.