Four people dressed in painters' outfits march into the busy lobby of Manhattan Trust, a cornerstone Wall Street Branch of a worldwide financial institution. Within seconds, the costumed robbers place the bank under a surgically planned siege, and the 50 patrons and staff become unwitting pawns in an airtight heist. NYPD hostage negotiators Detectives Keith Frazier and Bill Mitchell are dispatched to the scene with orders to establish contact with the heist's ringleader, Dalton Russell, and ensure safe release of the hostages. Working alongside Emergency Services Unit (ESU) Captain John Darius, all are hopeful that the situation can be peacefully diffused and that control of the bank and release of those inside can be secured in short order. But Russell proves an unexpectedly canny opponent--clever, calm and totally in command--a puppet master with a meticulous plan to disorient and confuse not only the hostages, but also the authorities.

Outside, the crowd of New Yorkers grows as the situation becomes increasingly intense tense, with Frazier's superiors becoming more concerned about his ability to keep the standoff from spiraling out of control. The robbers appear to consistently be one step ahead of the police, outwitting Frazier and Mitchell at every turn. Frazier's suspicions that more is at work than anyone perceives are justified with the entry of Madeline White, a power player with shadowy objectives, who requests a private meeting with Russell. The chairman of the bank's board of directors, controlling entrepreneur Arthur Case, is also uniquely interested in the moment-to-moment happenings inside the branch. But just what are the robbers after? Why has nothing worked to alleviate the standoff, which stretches on hour after hour? Frazier is convinced that invisible strings are being pulled and secret negotiations are taking place as the powder keg situation grows more unstable by the moment.

There was one moment in the movie where I found myself saying “Oh, no… please don’t go there,” because the movie seemed about to take a turn towards the cliché, to the typical Hollywood movie and ending which would have been a shame. But luckily that oh no moment was just a ruse and the movie didn’t sink itself in its final moments which would have ruined the entire movie which had been so magnificent up to that point. Much like the cops staking out this robbery you too as an audience member are left in the dark to what is going on and how the its all go to end and play out, which is a fantastic place to be. I am tired of transparent movies that don’t even bother to hide where they are going and leave nothing up for suspense or the imagination of their audience. Its obvious Dalton Russell has an ace up his sleeve but what that ace is you can only guess and imagine until the movie springs it on you. Everything is so well thought out and so ingenious I almost wonder if anyone might try and copy the robbery scenario they use because it just might work and its that believability that make the movie so fun to watch and why you find yourself enthralled by the movie.

There are flaws to the movie, for one what they were really after because the movie never bothers to tell you how Dalton Russell came upon this information. It’s a slight hole in otherwise fantastic plot but its still hard to completely ignore. It’s the one thing that makes the believability of the movie less than perfect and the one thing that might make it impossible for a copy cat robber to duplicate. I love heist movie especially ones that don’t seem to be following a formula and Inside Man is that kind of movie. It is unique and fun and entertaining and well worth the price of admission.

Clive Owen seems to come out of nowhere and all of a sudden he is making one fantastic movie after another. He is a great actor that’s for sure, he has that slick smooth exterior and voice that makes you believe he could be anything from hero to villain. He is so smooth, he is so calculated, he is so in control that you find yourself rooting for him rather than the traditional hero. He is the anti-hero, the bad guy that you find yourself wanting to win and knowing that he is smart enough to do so if the movie doesn’t stop itself from being something a little out of the norm and not your traditional Hollywood affair. Helped by this is Denzel Washington whom its hard not to love as the hostage negotiator but also a man who will do anything to advance his career. The problem is that Denzel seems to have fallen into a trap and every role he now plays is either as a police officer or military. The last movie he did that didn’t fall into the Denzel Washington character cliché was John Q about five years ago. So its easy to cheer for Clive because Denzel is going to get what he wants anyway and Clive just seems vastly smarter and more thought out then the entire police force that is set to try and catch him. Jodie Foster plays the slimy political advisor which oddly seemed perfect for her. The casting was near perfect, the movie was near perfect and my opinion the ending was perfect.

Grade: A-