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'Inside Man' will hold you hostage

There are no new stories, but a crafty filmmaker can take a familiar genre built of used parts and turn it into something smart and novel.

Director Spike Lee — of all people — shows how, dusting off the bank heist and hostage picture, shaking it up with a nod to the multiculturalism of New York City and a contemporary cynicism about urban politics. The result is Inside Man, a taut cat-and-mouse caper yarn with a top-notch cast that could become Lee's most commercially successful film, or as he calls them "joint," yet.

Universal Pictures 'Inside Man' A- The verdict: A tense, crafty heist-and-hostage-taking picture, given a distinctive spin by director Spike Lee. Director: Spike Lee Starring: Denzel Washington, Jodie Foster, Clive Owen, Willem Dafoe, Christopher Plummer, Chiwetel Ejiofor Run time: 129 minutes Release date: March 24, 2006 Rating: R for language and some violent images. See showtimes Inside Spike Lee "Flick Chick" Leslie Streeter offers five special films from the director's catalog. On the web Official movie site View the trailer    Trailers require Quicktime Rate 'Inside Man'   Go see it   Make it a matinee   Wait to rent   Don't bother Voter Limit: Once per Hour View Poll Results

Coming off the misfire of She Hate Me, Lee bounces back with assurance. Here is a polished, involving movie that will probably have you hooked from the opening monologue by master robber Clive Owen, who warns us to pay attention to the details of his meticulously planned bank job. Sure enough, as he and his crew show no interest in stealing money from the vault or even of escaping, we come to realize that something very different is afoot.

Owen is chilling as Dalton Russell, but we have seen such cold-blooded, calculating crooks before. He is well matched by hostage negotiator Keith Frazier (Denzel Washington), an unflappable cop tainted by accusations of corruption, yet too committed to the force to give up on a case just because his superiors issue the order. But he too is a relatively stock character, despite the snappy, streetwise dialogue he keeps spouting.

The wild card in the deck, however, is sleek, well-tailored Madeline White (Jodie Foster), a mercenary, ice-water-veined go-between with connections right up to the mayor. As it becomes clear that this is no ordinary robbery, Madeline is retained to protect the personal interests of the Lower Manhattan bank's board chairman, Arthur Chase (Christopher Plummer), and suddenly the stakes rise exponentially.

The screenplay by newcomer Russell Gewirtz takes us down such well-worn paths as the psychological tug of war over the hostage taker's demands, the SWAT team's maneuvers as they prepare to storm the bank and the dynamic among hostages toughened by their daily lives as New Yorkers. But do not let these recognizable elements lower your guard against unexpected plot twists.

While Lee does not turn Inside Man into a black-white conflict, pitting Washington against Owen, race and ethnicity do play roles on the edges of the film. There is, for instance, a terrific exchange with a Sikh incensed about being separated from his turban, a little old Jewish lady hostage who refuses to cower at gunpoint and an African-American kid obsessed with his inner-city violent video game. Lee is not afraid to pause for character tangents, or to inject humor into the situation, yet the film remains tense and suspenseful throughout.

In his fourth collaboration with Lee, shaved-headed Washington is commanding in his single-minded pursuit. He has taken on more complex roles before, but may never have been as enjoyable to watch. Owen is necessarily more enigmatic, but compelling, just as nothing penetrates Foster's icy, pseudo-charming demeanor.

From the opening location-setting montage that takes us from Brooklyn to Wall Street, Lee demonstrates again his affection and knowledge of his favorite city.

The 1975 Dog Day Afternoon — which gets acknowledged mid-movie — may have set the standard for heist-and-hostage flicks, but Inside Man deserves its place right alongside it.