Inside Man
Universal Pictures | Release Date: March 24, 2006
7.3
USER SCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 356 Ratings
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Positive:
272
Mixed:
60
Negative:
24
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8
RalfbergsAug 18, 2016
Really exciting movie, which makes you guess what will be the end game all along. Magnificient acting, funny moments and all around interesting plot. If you like heist/bank robbery movies, then you will enjoy this a lot in my opinion.
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8
CineAutoctonoJul 25, 2015
for me they have created a perfect plan for a great movie , in an excellent plot , a great deal where Denzel Washington, Jodie Foster and Clive Owen got a good job each and where Spike Lee was the biggest star.
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7
MovieMasterEddyApr 3, 2016
'Inside Man,' a Crime Caper Starring Denzel Washington.

For most of his career, the great and maddeningly unreliable Spike Lee has been anything but — to borrow the title of his diverting new film — an inside man. Mr. Lee, who hit the'Inside Man,' a Crime Caper Starring Denzel Washington.

For most of his career, the great and maddeningly unreliable Spike Lee has been anything but — to borrow the title of his diverting new film — an inside man. Mr. Lee, who hit the scene in the mid-1980's with "She's Gotta Have It," a barbed independent comedy that jump-started the black film movement and made him a national brand, has preferred to be seen as an outside man, a rebel who said what he wanted, when he wanted, far from the industry establishment. To judge from this precision-tooled amusement, Mr. Lee may have missed his calling (one of them, anyway) as a studio hire.

"Inside Man" is a jolt, partly because it comes equipped rather incongruously with the name of Mr. Lee's company, 40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks, but mostly because this is the kind of seamless diversion that should be a stock item in Hollywood, but isn't. Much like Richard Donner's recent actioner, "16 Blocks," another effective piece of genre showmanship, "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 — this film's holy trinity being Denzel Washington, Clive Owen and Jodie Foster — along with an excellent supporting cast and the best lineup of pusses and mugs outside "The Sopranos."

Here's how it goes down: Mr. Owen stares into the camera and announces that he is about to commit "the perfect bank robbery." Whether his character, Dalton Russell, succeeds is immaterial to how he gets from the first act to the third, which is where Mr. Lee's movie love comes in. This is the least overtly personal of Mr. Lee's films, but it's also his most polished and satisfying work in years, with none of the raggedness that sometimes mars even his best intentions. Taking his cue from the surprising, witty screenplay by the newcomer Russell Gewirtz, the filmmaker frames the heist and subsequent standoff as a really big show — namedropping "Dog Day Afternoon" along the way — then cuts his actors loose and lets them play.

As the action pings between Russell working his wicked ways inside the bank (beating hostages, forcing them to wear unflattering coveralls); Mr. Washington's smooth operator, a veteran detective named Keith Frazier; and Ms. Foster's Madeline White, a fixer hired by the bank, you might find yourself trying to unknot the increasingly tangled plot. Don't bother. Filled with playful noise and nonsense, clever feints and digressions, "Inside Man" has a story to tell, but its most sustained pleasures come from its performances, especially the three leads. To watch Mr. Washington breeze into a scene smooth as silk, smooth as Bogart and Easy Rawlins combined, or to listen to Mr. Owen murmur sweet nothings into the camera, is to experience the ineffable pleasures that only big-screen stars can provide.

Mr. Lee rarely treats his actresses or female characters as well as their male counterparts, but whether by design or neglect, he helps Ms. Foster deliver her wittiest, most relaxed performance in ages. Part Mata Hari, part Ilsa the She Wolf, she stalks the sets in form-fitting suits and nose-bleed heels that show off her spectacular legs wonderfully. (She could kill with those things!) In a story dominated by men, in which most of the women are either desexualized or double-D babes, her character presents an amusing fantasy of female power. One of those mysterioso brokers who circumvent both the law and the criminal element for the deepest pockets in town, Madeline isn't the equal of any man: she's superior. And you thought dominatrixes wore only black leather.

Like everyone else in the film, Madeline seems interested only in getting hers. Russell wants his ill-gotten gains, Detective Frazier wants his promotion, and the bank bigwig (Christopher Plummer) wants his secrets kept — it's a Hobbesian world, after all. Mr. Lee, meanwhile, most likely wants the respect that he has always been due. Consistently underrated and underappreciated, this filmmaker is an erratic talent, if no more so than many ensconced in Hollywood, and his insistence that race matters has cost him dearly with the mainstream (i.e., white) audience. He's right, of course, that race matters, which is why, in between plot points and star turns, he gently and, at times, rather hilariously, insists on reminding us that it does. He may have sublet this "Spike Lee Joint" to out-of-towners, but it's good to see that he hasn't left the neighborhood.… Expand
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9
miccaelOct 20, 2019
Pretty epic movie and has best opening song I have heard. Overall there are some "unreal" things about it so I wouldn't call it realistic guide to "robbing a bank". But a good movie!
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8
berylekmotylekDec 14, 2021
genialny koncept, genialny spejsi, genialny denzel, genialny film. czego chcieć więcej - chyba tylko sequela.
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7
shiftworkerNov 30, 2016
Crime. Clive Owen is the clever bank robber, Denzel Washington the clever cop in this interesting heist movie. Jodi Foster and Christopher Plummer provide reliable support in the secondary plot. Rewards a second or third watch a few years later too.
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6
eva3si0nJun 12, 2020
Not a bad thriller about one robbery. Like most such films in this genre, the film is chamber, because of this, acting is very important. But here it is not enough, there is also no properly built suspense. You can see it 1 time, but the filmNot a bad thriller about one robbery. Like most such films in this genre, the film is chamber, because of this, acting is very important. But here it is not enough, there is also no properly built suspense. You can see it 1 time, but the film will be forgotten in a couple of days because of its triviality.… Expand
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5
BroyaxJan 6, 2019
Un braquage de banque ingénieux et plutôt malin qui sait éveiller la curiosité et la maintenir du début à la fin : c'est bien rythmé, efficace et servi par l'excellent Clive Owen sur un plateau, sans oublier Jodi Foster, Christopher PlummerUn braquage de banque ingénieux et plutôt malin qui sait éveiller la curiosité et la maintenir du début à la fin : c'est bien rythmé, efficace et servi par l'excellent Clive Owen sur un plateau, sans oublier Jodi Foster, Christopher Plummer et Wilhem Dafoe... bref, du beau monde compétent et bien dirigé.

La mise en scène est d'ailleurs au diapason et en vérité tout devrait rouler pour un divertissement très divertissant qui ne réinvente pas la roue mais fait son boulot sans fioritures... Hélas, c'est aussi un film de Spike Lee et ce réalisateur est connu pour ses films de propagande dégoulinante du #vivre_ensemble, des "droits civiques" des minorités immigrées, des brutalités policières et de toutes ces autres conneries pleurnichardes gauchistes à l'agenda SJW chargé. Bref, du Caliméro industriel geignard et bien casse-couilles.

C'est vraiment dommage, car ça plombe sévèrement le film qui n'avait pas vraiment besoin de ça... ni de Denzel Washington toujours à rouler des mécaniques alors qu'il se fait rouler dans la farine ici... il a en tout cas l'air d'un con et ça le rend un peu plus supportable que d'habitude, l'habit faisant le moine je suppose, lui qui est sapé ici comme l'as de pique.

A vouloir attirer l'attention ainsi avec ses gesticulations de justicier social, Spike Lee loupe donc durablement le coche et gâche le travail accompli... mais pas totalement heureusement. Ce qui dans son cas tient finalement d'un petit miracle.… Expand
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7
amheretojudgeMar 31, 2018
which leave us only with the how..

Inside Man The sense of urgency is kept alive throughout the course of the feature that helps the audience reach to the climax swiftly which may come off as a bit poignant, hoax and unsatisfactory too (forwhich leave us only with the how..

Inside Man

The sense of urgency is kept alive throughout the course of the feature that helps the audience reach to the climax swiftly which may come off as a bit poignant, hoax and unsatisfactory too (for some viewers) but it surely is undeniably entertaining. Spike Lee's execution skills is what holds this tale with multiple characters that even though has "seen-this-seen-that" screenplay by Russell Gewirtz and predictable twists, still delivers. Denzel Washington and Clive Owen are convincing in their parellel roles that portrays two sides of the coin and is supported with a great cast like Christopher Plummer, Jodie Foster and Willem Dafoe. Inside Man hits hard and fast in its first act where the writing doesn't flinch on taking bold risks which keeps the viewers on the edge of the seat and even though the last act is a bit slow, one can always root for Denzel and his amusing conversations that is smartly written with other characters.… Expand
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6
zNeverSleepingFeb 6, 2020
É um bom filme para passar o tempo. A trama é bem amarradinha, apesar de que não me importei tanto com o que acontecia com os personagens e nem mesmo como os ladrões escapariam, o que automaticamente inutilizava todo o suspense que o filmeÉ um bom filme para passar o tempo. A trama é bem amarradinha, apesar de que não me importei tanto com o que acontecia com os personagens e nem mesmo como os ladrões escapariam, o que automaticamente inutilizava todo o suspense que o filme tentava construir, fazendo com que o mesmo parecesse mais demorado do que deveria ser - após a metade do filme, as coisas começam a andar mais e a sensação diminui.… Expand
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7
DogeGamer2015Feb 6, 2021
Un thriller bastante decente; aunque la película sea un poco larga y la trama un poco lenta, se consigue un resultado entretenido.
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6
squecoreJul 3, 2020
The biggest problem with this move: it seems like they made the cops way too stupid. And it felt like it was because they couldn't write the plot well. Still an okay-ish movie.
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9
Instant_PalmerSep 22, 2021
Spike Lee's Engaging A-Team Heist-Film Scores
'Inside Man' engages the viewer from the opening scene through the credits. One of the better Heist films one can watch, with an all-star cast of highly-accomplished actors delivering the goods.Spike Lee's Engaging A-Team Heist-Film Scores
'Inside Man' engages the viewer from the opening scene through the credits. One of the better Heist films one can watch, with an all-star cast of highly-accomplished actors delivering the goods. Recommended viewing!

No ordinary film maker, Lee taps his expertise in film making, applying superior cinematography, editing, and direction skills.

Headlining the film is Denzel Washington as the good guy cop, and Clive Owen as the highly intelligent robber (with the screen-play thankfully avoiding the crazy/insane cliche' Bond movie villain characterization).

"Filling-in" as good as one will find in bank robber caper films are the superior supporting cast performances of Christopher Plummer (who has never delivered anything sub-par in his career), Jodie Foster (effectively playing against her "type"), William Dafoe (over-due for an Oscar), Chiwetel Ejiofor (perfect subtle side-arm detective partner to Denzel), and across the board good performances by the entire supporting ensemble cast.

Lee doesn't try to play out the big surprise ending cliche', but instead allows one to piece things together as the film unfolds, letting us "in" to the narrative piece by piece. This is refreshing and elevates the film overall.

Really hard to find any critical piece missing in the film. Editing and pacing excellent, and even the potentially preposterous story idea works. Yes there are a few "identifying the magician's tricks" moments inside what could have been a perceived as an over the top narrative, but one overlooks those because this is quite the entertaining film and it is put together so well - Witty dialogue delivered by some of the all-time great actors who were perfectly cast on their parts.

Bravo to all concerned… Expand
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0
roughglitterJan 21, 2023
Just for the unrealistic video game scene this movie deserves a zero. The movie comes across as something made by a Christian movie production company: very heavy handed with it’s moralizing. Out of all the Spike Lee movies I’ve seen, this isJust for the unrealistic video game scene this movie deserves a zero. The movie comes across as something made by a Christian movie production company: very heavy handed with it’s moralizing. Out of all the Spike Lee movies I’ve seen, this is the worst.… Expand
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8
Maverick_2023Sep 10, 2023
Really enjoyed this. Had me guessing how it would turn out right until the very end. Love films like that. Great cast and great direction from Spike Lee
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