On the surface, The Inside Man doesn't look like the type of film Spike Lee might make. It's a big budget studio picture cast with some pretty big names. Quite surprisingly, however, much of Lee's trademark style ultimately shines throughout this homage to classic heist pictures (Dog Day Afternoon, Thief, Heat etc.).

As The Inside Man opens, we are introduced to bank-robber Dalton Russell (a magnetic Clive Owen). He narrates the proceedings in third person and requests that the viewer pay close attention to what they're about to see. Then, we the audience are quickly thrown into the fray as Russell and his team of painter-uniformed accomplices march into the crowded lobby of Manhattan Trust. Within seconds, the robbers have commandeered complete control of the bank. It's clear this team have planned the caper down to the most intricate detail, as their siege takes hold with an almost surgical precision. Little do the patrons of the bank know that they're much more than hostages - they're actually pawns and players in the heist - bringing to mind a similar scenario in the underrated Bill Murray flick Quick Change.

Downtown at the precinct, detective Keith Frazier (a solid Denzel Washington) and his partner Bill Mitchell (the gifted Chiwetel Ejiofor) catch wind of the crime in progress and are immediately dispatched to bring the situation under control. Upon arriving at the bank, Frazier and Mitchell relieve veteran Emergency Services Chief John Darius (an underused Willem Dafoe) of his duties - thus creating additional tension in an already volatile situation. Meanwhile, Russell and his team have already disabled the entire surveillance system in the bank, and are well on their way to committing the perfect robbery. The real question, however, is what are they actually after?

Frazier is extremely eager to begin negotiations with the stoically commanding Russell, so he makes the proper steps to establish a dialogue with the calm and calculated professional. Before long, it becomes perfectly clear that there's more to this caper than meets the eye, which soon leads Frazier to an aging bank owner (Christopher Plummer) and his cunning power broker of an assistant (Jodie Foster), a woman so connected and self important that it prompts one character in the picture to refer to her as a "magnificent cunt."

Soon The Inside Man is layered with thickening plot twists and this proves to be both a blessing and a curse. A blessing because most of the characters in this picture are a colorful bunch and a pleasure to watch. A curse because such an onslaught of characters and situations makes for an unnecessarily long movie. Unfortunately The Inside Man is also festooned with sorely misplaced humor. One scene finds Washington jokingly badgering a witness into admitting that perhaps she's one of the perpetrators of the heist. This funny business just didn't work and there are others like it throughout the film.

Spike Lee presents New York as a huge melting pot of ethnicity. Nearly every nationality is given screen time in The Inside Man and I suppose the film maker deserves props for that. Much like the legendary Woody Allen, Mr. Lee eats, drinks and sleeps New York City, but he is unable use the backdrop to the same effect, for lack of the Woodman's inherant subtlety. Things become a tad gimmicky in Lee's hands. Look no further than a scene in which Frazier desperately seeks an Albanian translator. If you imagined this to be a tall order, you would be wrong. Within seconds, he finds a gentleman in the alley just behind him who happens to speak the tongue fluently. Wow, what a break. I know, I know - it's just a movie and I'm knit-picking - but still?

The screenplay was written by first timer Russell Gerwitz. This is a worthy freshman effort, but the film does tend to be a wee bit implausible and requires a vault-load of suspension of disbelief. What's more, Gerwitz is so hell bent on tricking the audience that he began to lose a little bit of the spirit of fun that is generally part and parcel of a caper flick. Ocean's Eleven and even the Thomas Crown Affair for example maintained a hip, playful quality throughout, and while neither were masterpieces, I still enjoyed their sense of matinee adventure and as The Inside Man grew increasingly convoluted with it's head-fakes and trickery, much of that underlying sense of joy began to wane.

What really elevates this movie, is powerful acting, and the way these gifted actors play off of each other. We get classic conversations between Clive Owen and Denzel Washington, Denzel Washington and Jodie Foster, Clive Owen and the hostages etc. This is a gifted cast and they're clearly having a great time working together. The movie is worth seeing for great acting alone.

Denzel Washington and Spike Lee have worked together several times before (Malcolm X, Mo' Better Blues, He Got Game), so it comes as no surprise that the actor proves himself yet again in The Inside Man. It's a light but rock-solid turn. Clive Owen is outstanding as a thief who means business. If you cross him you're going to get burned, and Owen brings this across not only through his actions, but his smoldering intensity as well. Jodie Foster who at a glance, seems as if she might be miscast, is perfect as a "magnificent cunt." Her motives are crystal clear, and it's fun watching her turn this sinister cock-sure bitch into character that you not only like, but root for as well.

Truth be told, I expected a little more from Lee, the exceptional maestro behind many legendary films including Do the Right Thing and Malcolm X. After spending the first half of this decade directing such comedies as the great live concert film Original Kings of Comedy, the innovative TV parody Bamboozled and the arcane She Hate Me, The Inside Man comes as something of a refreshing treat from a guy who's not only opened the door for African-American film makers, he's also opened the door for independent film makers.

I suppose there's something to be said for The Inside Man's anti-climactic ending, and I enjoyed the notion that Lee has essentially made a flick in which we the audience root for the good guy and the bad guy pretty much equally. These are both strong traits. The truth is though, I was never quite as engaged by the proceedings as I'd hoped to be. As the film ended, I sort of found myself scratching my head and thinking, "that's it?" Yes, each of the main characters' inner conflicts are resolved and yes, most of them achieve their goals, but somehow, all this stuff comes to closure in a slightly unfulfilling manner. Ultimately however, The Inside Man is a strong film with plenty to recommend it. First and foremost it's numerous terrific performances turned in by an absolutely magnificent . . . cast.