Inside Man (2006)
85%RT Audience Score: 85%
Awards & Nominations: 5 wins & 12 nominations
Spike Lee’s energetic and clever bank-heist thriller is a smart genre film that is not only rewarding on its own terms, but manages to subvert its pulpy trappings with wit and skill
Inside Man is a heist movie that’s as slick as Jodie Foster’s performance as Madeleine White. It’s a Spike Lee joint that’s downright fun, unexpected, and full of plot twists that keep you on the edge of your seat. The interweaving of backstory and subplots deepen the action, and the strong cast delivers strong performances. It’s a gripping thriller that’s Lee’s most polished effort in years, and it’s the best of its kind since The Usual Suspects. Plus, who doesn’t love a good heist movie with a touch of comedy?
Production Company(ies)
Cinema ’84 Euro Film Funding, Hemdale
Distributor
Universal Pictures
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
Steiner Studios – 15 Washington Avenue, Brooklyn Navy Yard, Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for language and some violent images
Year of Release
2006
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:DTS Dolby Digital SDDS
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Aspect ratio:2.35 : 1
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Runtime:2h 9m
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Language(s):English, Albanian, Spanish, Polish
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Mar 24, 2006 Original
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 8, 2006
Genre(s)
Drama/Crime
Keyword(s)
starring Denzel Washington, Clive Owen, Jodie Foster, Willem Dafoe, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Kim Director, Christopher Plummer, directed by Spike Lee, written by Adam Erbacher, produced by Brian Grazer, drama, crime, mystery, thriller, R-rated, box office gross $88.5M, reviewed by Wilson Morales, J.R Jones, David Ansen, Peter Bradshaw, Andrew Sarris, Sandra Hall, David Walsh, Leigh Paatsch, Tom Meek, Michael Compton, Michael Kleinschrodt, bank robbery, hostage crisis, detective, bank robber, power broker, hidden agenda, tense situation, negotiation, flash-forwards, interviews, heist genre, mainstream, thriller, tension, intrigue, subversion, wit, skill, smart genre film, pulpy trappings, fresh take
Worldwide gross: $186,003,591
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $274,291,511
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 544
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 29,911,833
US/Canada gross: $88,513,495
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $130,527,051
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 585
US/Canada opening weekend: $28,954,945
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $42,698,614
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 282
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $45,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $66,359,568
Production budget ranking: 630
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $35,734,627
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $172,197,315
ROI to date (est.): 169%
ROI ranking: 716
Clive Owen – Dalton Russell
Jodie Foster – Madaline White
Willem Dafoe – Capt. Darius
Chiwetel Ejiofor – Det. Bill Mitchell
Kim Director – Stevie
Director(s)
Spike Lee
Writer(s)
Adam Erbacher
Producer(s)
Brian Grazer
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
5 wins & 12 nominations
Academy Awards
All Critics (208) | Top Critics (57) | Fresh (179) | Rotten (29)
Foster’s slick performance as “fixer” Madeleine White adds to the intrigue and suspense, along with the supporting characters…
March 31, 2020
Wilson Morales
indieWire
TOP CRITIC
[A] wily thriller, which revitalizes a familiar premise by turning it inside out.
April 29, 2008
J. R. Jones
Chicago Reader
TOP CRITIC
As unexpected as some of its plot twists is the fact that this unapologetic genre movie was directed by Spike Lee, who has never sold himself as Mr. Entertainment. But here it is, a Spike Lee joint that’s downright fun.
November 1, 2007
David Ansen
Newsweek
TOP CRITIC
Supremely annoying and nonsensical.
January 27, 2007 | Rating: 1/5
Peter Bradshaw
Guardian
TOP CRITIC
I gloried in the sheer spectacle of Jodie Foster as Madeline White, an exquisitely groomed, fearlessly feline fixer striding on her high heels and her high horse into one supposedly perilous situation after another.
April 5, 2006
Andrew Sarris
Observer
TOP CRITIC
Like everything [Lee] does, it resonates with the buzz and hum of New Yorkers getting on one another’s nerves.
March 31, 2006
Sandra Hall
Sydney Morning Herald
TOP CRITIC
Inside Man is a run-of-the-mill heist film, something that merely fills up time, directed by Spike Lee.
February 14, 2021
David Walsh
World Socialist Web Site
The best of its kind since The Usual Suspects.
July 31, 2020 | Rating: 4.5/5
Leigh Paatsch
Herald Sun (Australia)
The interweaving of backstory and some taut subplots deepen the action, orchestrated with such precision that each scene innately ratchets up the stakes from its previous frame.
June 29, 2020 | Rating: 3/4
Tom Meek
Cambridge Day
Lee handles the strong cast and Russell Gewirtz’s screenplay with precision. This is the director’s best work since 1998’s He Got Game.
November 20, 2019 | Rating: A-
Micheal Compton
Bowling Green Daily News
Director Spike Lee’s most polished effort in years is a gripping thriller with strong performances.
May 30, 2019 | Rating: 3.5/4
Michael Kleinschrodt
Times-Picayune
It appears to be a heist movie, but it’s too slow for the genre, and the tension keeps slackening into comedy… There are plenty of plot twists, but the comedy is much better than the tension was ever going to be.
November 6, 2018
Michael Wood
London Review of Books…
Plot
Composed and meticulous, the soft-spoken and ingenious bank robber, Dalton Russell, has orchestrated the perfect heist
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
No goofy or funny or odd comments were found on Fresh Kernels about the film Inside Man.
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