Inside Man

Spike Lee's Inside Man isn't much more than a conventional cat-and-mouse tale about a master bank robber (with a hidden agenda) and a police negotiator trying to save hostages, but it's so handsomely mounted, well-cast, and expertly crafted that it's actually quite enjoyable. In fact, Inside Man is so smartly done in other respects that even a major logic hole at the center of the plot doesn't derail it. The film opens with Clive Owen, as the criminal mastermind, directly addressing the viewer to announce his intention to rob a big Wall Street bank, followed by an exciting sequence in which the building is taken over by his gang. A slick, cocky hostage negotiator (Denzel Washington) assigned to the situation soon suspects that all is not as it seems. Could the operation actually involve the bank's chairman, who has something hidden away in one of the safety deposit boxes that he is so anxious to keep secret he hires a politically-connected fixer (Jodie Foster) to make sure it remains undisturbed? What transpires isn't all that surprising (since flash-forward excerpts from interviews with survivors reveal that there is no bloodbath conclusion) or terribly plausible, but the film makes up for its lapses by creating a strong New York atmosphere, investing the action with lots of visual pizzazz, and inserting moments of dark, pointed humor. Recommended. [Note: DVD extras include audio commentary by director Spike Lee, five deleted scenes, an 11-minute “making-of” featurette, a 10-minute “Number 4” featurette with Lee and star Denzel Washington discussing the four films they have worked on together, and trailers. Bottom line: a solid extras package for a fine thriller.] (F. Swietek)[Blu-ray Review—May 26, 2009—Universal, 106 min., R, $29.98—Making its first appearance on Blu-ray, 2006's Inside Man sports a fine transfer and includes DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 sound. Blu-ray extras are nearly identical to the standard DVD release, including audio commentary by director Spike Lee, five deleted scenes, an 11-minute “making-of” featurette, a 10-minute “Number 4” featurette with Lee and star Denzel Washington discussing the four films they have worked on together, and trailers. Exclusive to the Blu-ray release is the BD-Live function. Bottom line: a solid Blu-ray debut for this Spike Lee thriller.]