Inside Man

My friend Rob has been busting my balls because of my Brokeback Mountain / The Unit reviews. (See the comments to both of the reviews, below.) Well, now I'm adding to my double entendre reviews by watching the latest Spike Lee movie "Inside Man".

Inside Man stars Denzel Washington as an NYPD hostage negotiator biding his time to make Detective First Grade, when a bank heist creates a hostage situation with over 50 hostages and the number one negotiator is on vacation. Bank robber Clive Owen and a group of cohorts have taken hostages while robbing a bank in Manhattan. But it is clear from the beginning that this is no ordinary bank robbery, and you, the viewer, are left to wade through the myriad of clues and flashbacks (and flash-forwards) to figure out what exactly is going on.

I really enjoyed the style of this movie. Jodie Foster makes up for "Flightplan" with a great performance as the person the people with power go to when in a jam. The acting is great, and Spike Lee makes a great turn as a director of an action/thriller. Plus, it's always great to see Clive Owen on screen. I can't wait to see him in the Sin City sequel.

When I left the theater, my first thought was that the movie went on a little too long, and could have been edited down. But the more I thought about the film over the weekend, the more I liked it. There are some truly wonderful small roles acted by some really gifted unknown actors and actresses - I expect to see many of them go on to bigger and better things. The supporting cast is excellent.

This movie isn't for everyone, and I suspect that many of you will agree that it drags a little. But you should at least put it on your list of movies to rent.