Inside Man ***½

Inside Man
Directed by Spike Lee. Starring Denzel Washington, Clive Owen, Jodie Foster, Christopher Plummer, and Willem Dafoe. Rated R.

Spike Lee has never failed to impress me with his films, and I consider him to be one of America's greatest filmmakers. With his new crime-thriller, Inside Man, he puts a creative twists on a done-to-death story. Denzel Washington, a regular in Lee's films, plays Keith Frazier, a tough and cunning police detective who is called upon to act as hostage negotiator when a New York bank robbery goes out of control. Leading the gang of thieves is Dalton Russell (Clive Owen, in a superb performance), a highly intelligent and unyielding criminal who has planned the entire robbery to perfection. Jodie Foster makes a memorable appearance as Madeline White, a broker with a hidden agenda who complicates the situation even more. Director Lee has made yet another great film, continuing to prove that he can do a great job with other writers' material (like 25th Hour). The three principals do a fantastic job with their roles, especially Clive Owen who plays the character of Dalton very realistically. Inside Man is a smart heist flick, filled with unpredictable twists and turns, and it will surely impress everyone who sees it.