Inside Man (Lee, 2006)

I've got to be honest: as "Inside Man" began, I wasn't impressed. We've got your basic bank robbery plot -- an intelligent criminal mastermind formulates the perfect plan for robbing a bank. He's got followers, trained to follow his scheme exactly. He's got uniforms, masks and disguises, to keep from being indentified by the police. He's got hostages and guns and hi-tech equipment that knocks out the cameras.

But I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy the film -- because I was pleasantly surprised by "Inside Man." What begins as your stereotypical bank robbery film (which, by the way, you can predict exactly), turns into a tangled, twist-a-minute story of wealth. "Inside Man" keeps throwing curveballs through its entirety.

Dalton Russel (Clive Owen) is the brains behind the operation -- he sets in motion the robbery, along with his trusty henchmen. Keith Frazier (Denzel Washington) is the Detective who arrives on the scene, along with his partner (Chiwetel Ejiofor) and a police captain (Willem Dafoe). On the outside, the bank robbery seems traditional. But there's something deeper ... something much deeper behind the heist that isn't revealed until the very end.

"Inside Man" isn't an action movie. There's no car chases, shootouts or getwaways. It's a smart thriller that kept me guessing, and a great flick. I did feel that it dragged on a bit near the end, and the climax was a big drawn out. But the movie is otherwise enjoyable.

The Final Verdict: 7/10