The Film
As caper films go Inside Man actually breaks many of the typical conventions, while still paying homage to the classics. It puts a twist on who is actually the bigger "villain," and will undoubtedly have you rooting for the "bad guy." But the film is perhaps a bit too kind to Clive Owen's character, who never pays for some rather brutal and anti-social behavior.
Director Spike Lee avoids the problem with many heist thrillers, where the onscreen action and plot unravels much like the master criminal's plans. This is one that will keep you guessing until the end the first time through, while making the plan so crystal clear in subsequent viewings that you'll wonder how you missed the clues. The film isn't perfect, and numerous plot holes abound - notably how Christopher Plummer's banker character could have been old enough during World War II to do what his character has done - but as plot holes go, these are all forgiveable. Perhaps he's just remarkably well preserved?
Feel like you're being robbed with this review? David Kempler offers another look inside Inside Man.
The Picture
The Blu-ray version looks a tad better than the HD DVD presentation, and the 2.35:1 1080p presentation puts you inside the bank and inside the action. As a result, you'll feel like you're actually there with Owen and his motley crew but the movie's lack of diverse settings fails to deliver extensive visual eye candy. Despite the lack of contrast in locations, the colors and black levels are very good throughout.
The Sound
The sound is a real treat, especially given that the HD DVD version featured Dolby TrueHD 5.1, and this package gets a similarly spec'ed lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. The audio is rich and filled with the subtle ambient cues that really put you inside of the action.
[editor's note: This article has been updated to address the audio. When originally reviewed we experienced a dropout in the DTS-HD audio track for the last 30 minutes of the film. This issue affected advance review copies only. We've checked the replacement version, which is the one that will be available at retail, and are happy to say that the problem does not exist - the sound is uniformly excellent from beginning to end].
The Extras
The bonus features are virtually identical to those on the HD DVD, right down to the 2-year-old commentary track with the director. The only thing new here is BD-Live. So if you already own the HD DVD, you may feel you've been robbed when it comes to the special features. But then this doesn't differ a whole lot from catalog releases previously released on DVD. At least some of these are in High Def. While there is the usual making of, along with a featurette with Lee and Denzel Washington that looks at past collaborations, nothing really stands out as exceptional, or worthy of repeated viewings. Even the 20 minutes of deleted scenes bring nothing extra to the table, and deservingly belonged on the cutting room floor.
Final Thoughts
Inside Man is a clever thriller that never flaunts its cleverness. While Denzel Washington doesn't provide an Oscar-worthy performance, he manages to do more than phone it in. The supporting cast is also good, and the numerous twists and turns, along with some snappy banter make this a caper film that will remain enjoyable even when viewed multiple times. The biggest complaint is that Universal took two years to basically re-release the film for Blu-ray exactly as it was on HD DVD, and they still couldn't get the audio right!
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