Inside Man (2006)

A police detective, a bank robber, and a high-power broker enter high-stakes negotiations after the criminal's brilliant heist spirals into a hostage situation.

Director:

Spike Lee

Writer:

Russell Gewirtz

Stars:

Denzel Washington, Clive Owen, Jodie Foster

6 wins & 11 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Denzel Washington	...	Detective Keith Frazier
Clive Owen	...	Dalton Russell
Jodie Foster	...	Madeleine White
Christopher Plummer	...	Arthur Case
Willem Dafoe	...	Captain John Darius
Chiwetel Ejiofor	...	Detective Bill Mitchell
Carlos Andrés Gómez	...	Steve
Kim Director	...	Stevie
James Ransone	...	Steve-O
Bernie Rachelle	...	Chaim (as Bernard Rachelle)
Peter Gerety	...	Captain Coughlin
Victor Colicchio	...	Sergeant Collins
Cassandra Freeman	...	Sylvia
Peter Frechette	...	Peter Hammond
Gerry Vichi	...	Herman Gluck

Storyline

Composed and meticulous, the soft-spoken and ingenious bank robber, Dalton Russell, has orchestrated the perfect heist--shortly, the Manhattan bank at the corner of Wall Street and Broadway along with dozens of hostages will be his to command. Try as he might, the rough hostage negotiator, Keith Frazier, is always one step behind the criminal mastermind--and what is more disheartening--the institution's silver-haired founder, Arthur Case, recruits the intelligent problem-fixer, Madeline White, to retrieve something of paramount importance. However, the thieves seem to procrastinate intentionally, when they should be rushing into action. Will Arthur and Madeline get what they want this time?

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Plot Keywords:

bank | bank robber | hostage | robber | negotiation | 

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Taglines:

It looked like the perfect bank robbery. But you can't judge a crime by its cover.

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language and some violent images

Did You Know?

Trivia

The pizza that the police give to the robbers has the name "Sal's", a reference to one of Spike Lee's earlier films, Do the Right Thing (1989).

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Goofs

Detective Fraizer's promotion letter was dated August 12, 2005. This means that the robbery occurred on August 5, 2005. During the robbery, a hostage mentions that he has Mets tickets and Pedro (Pedro Martinez) is pitching. On August 5, 2005, the Mets did play at home and defeated the Chicago Cubs by a score of 9-5. However, Tom Glavine was the starting pitcher for the Mets, and not Pedro Martinez.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Dalton Russell: My name is Dalton Russell. Pay strict attention to what I say because I choose my words carefully and I never repeat myself. I've told you my name: that's the Who. The Where could most readily be described as a prison cell. But there's a vast difference between being stuck in a tiny cell and being in prison. The What is easy: recently I planned and set in motion events to execute the perfect bank robbery. That's also the When. As for the Why: beyond the obvious financial motivation...

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Crazy Credits

Again most unusual for a feature film all orchestra musicians are credited individually with their respective occupation.

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Connections

Featured in WatchMojo: Top 10 Denzel Washington Performances (2013)

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Soundtracks

Freeze
Written by Ayodele Olatunji
Performed by Jon Tue, Ayodele Olatunji
Courtesy of Soundspeeds

User Reviews

Intelligent thrills

A pleasure from start to finish. An older Denzel Washington has begun to emerge, and his performance here suggests he has many good years left. Clive Owen is terrific as the mastermind. He, and the plot, keeps you guessing. And while there are plenty of clues, they are so well incorporated that very few viewers will see how this one comes together in the end.

One major quibble: Jodie Foster's character is more archetype than person so it's to her credit that she pulls it off as well as it does. However, don't let that deter you from enjoying one of the best movies of the year. I'm glad to see Spike Lee tackle another genre film. He brings a re-invigorating approach to what, in other hands, would be a tiresome rehash. That liveliness seems to have worked on him, too -- this is his best film in several years.

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook UIP [Germany]

Country:

USA

Language:

English Albanian Spanish

Release Date:

24 March 2006 (USA)

Also Known As:

Inside Man

Filming Locations:

Exchange Place, Lower Manhattan, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$45,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$28,954,945, 26 March 2006

Gross USA:

$88,513,495

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$186,003,591

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Pictures, Imagine Entertainment, 40 Acres & A Mule Filmworks

Technical Specs

Runtime:

129 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1