Grade: A+
Score: 4.2
I think this great contemporary American Urban Drama is one of what I call, Spike Lee's "Curve Ball" films: his movies that aren't explicitly about social injustices (there's some of that in this film). His main "pitch" is (or, was) his go-to "Fastball" (and, as a baseball fan, himself, I think he might agree).
"Inside Man" is a 'Change-Up", though, and gripping from the opening scene.
Clive Owen, Denzel Washington, Jodie Foster & Christopher Plummer make for some well-drawn characters, and this is a heckuva "New York Movie" (a Spike Lee, "New York Movie").
Think of the best Crime Dramas throughout TV history, and the justice they deserve in having a film this good made out of them.
Btw, Spike Lee talks about this film all the way thru in the "Bonus Features", and that's one of the best things about DVDs - that you don't get from streaming services (and that novels don't give you).