Poster © Universal Pictures. Shown at reduced size for review and commentary.
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GenreCrime, Drama & Mystery
RatedR
Runtime2 hr 9 mins
ReleasedMarch 24, 2006
StreamingSee Where to Watch
DirectorSpike Lee
StarringDenzel Washington, Clive Owen, Jodie Foster
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Inside Man (2006)
| ▶Stream It | ★The Numbers |
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| iIMDb Profile | %Rotten Tomatoes |
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| Inside Man's Details | |
| Genre | Crime, Drama & Mystery |
| Rated | R |
| Released | 03/16/2006 (Netherlands); 03/24/2006 (United States) |
| Streaming | See Where to Watch on this page. |
| Running Time | 2 hr 9 mins |
| Budget | $45–60M (reported) |
| Box Office | Updated daily from Box Office Mojo. See the numbers below. |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Inside Man's Interests | |
| General | Painter's coveralls, safe deposit boxes, bugged pizza boxes, hostage negotiations, a guy named Steve. |
| Music | Terence Blanchard. The opening credits roll to A. R. Rahman's "Chaiyya Chaiyya." |
| Movies | Dog Day Afternoon (1975). The original New York bank standoff. |
| Television | Money Heist. Matching outfits, hostages, a robber with a master plan. |
| Heroes | Keith Frazier. Sharp suit, sharper mouth, really wants that promotion. |
| Inside Man's Crew | |
| Director | Spike Lee |
| Writers | Russell Gewirtz |
| Producers | Brian Grazer |
| Cinematography | Matthew Libatique |
| Music | Terence Blanchard |
| Edited By | Barry Alexander Brown |
| Production | Universal Pictures, Imagine Entertainment, 40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks |
| Distributed By | Universal Pictures |
Spike Lee made a bank robbery movie where nobody seems to care about the money, including the robbers. Clive Owen opens by talking right at you, bragging about how smart his plan is, and the next 129 minutes mostly back him up. Denzel Washington plays Frazier like a detective who has been underpaid his whole career and plans to enjoy this case anyway, hat tilted, jokes loaded. Chiwetel Ejiofor is his steady straight man. The weak spot is Jodie Foster’s fixer, who drifts in and out with great outfits and a subplot that never fully connects, and Willem Dafoe gets almost nothing to do. The interrogation scenes, cut in before you know how the standoff ends, are a slick way to keep you guessing. It’s a heist movie for grown-ups: no lasers, just patience and nerve. It made $186 million worldwide. A 7.7 because the plan is clever and Denzel is clearly having a blast. $12 says you look at your bank’s lobby a little differently the next time you walk in.
What works: Denzel’s swagger, Clive Owen’s calm, and a twisty plan that rewards anyone paying close attention.
What doesn’t: Jodie Foster’s subplot never quite lands, Willem Dafoe is wasted, and the last stretch slows down to explain things you already figured out.
Who it’s for: Heist fans who care more about the plan than the explosions.
Spoilers
Russell never leaves the bank: he hides behind a fake wall in the supply room and strolls out days later with diamonds from Case’s box. The box also held proof that Case got rich working with the Nazis during the war, and Russell slips Frazier a diamond and leaves a ring behind as a clue to go after Case.
Dalton Russell (Clive Owen) looks straight into the camera and tells us he has planned the perfect bank robbery. Then he and his crew, all dressed as painters, take over a Manhattan bank and fill it with hostages. Detective Keith Frazier (Denzel Washington) and his partner Bill Mitchell (Chiwetel Ejiofor) catch the case, and the robbers seem one step ahead of every move. Meanwhile the bank's powerful founder, Arthur Case (Christopher Plummer), quietly hires a fixer named Madeleine White (Jodie Foster) to protect one particular safe deposit box. Spike Lee directs. One hundred twenty-nine minutes, and every robber is named Steve.
Anyone who can tell one guy in painter's coveralls from another. Good luck.
| 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 |
| Kim Director | Valerie Keepsake/Stevie |
| James Ransone | Darius Peltz/Steve-O |
| Carlos Andrés Gómez | Kenneth Damerjian/Steve |
| Bernie Rachelle | Chaim |
- (cur | prev) 14:30, 18 October 2026 DataBot +40 Numbers refreshed: IMDb users 7.6 / 10 (430,627 votes) → 7.6 / 10 (430,664 votes).
- (cur | prev) 14:30, 17 October 2026 DataBot +480 Numbers refreshed: Worldwide box office $186M; Domestic box office $88.5M; Opening weekend $29M; Profit / loss (est.) +$14.3M; Rotten Tomatoes 86%; CinemaScore B+; box office chart updated; Rotten Tomatoes critics 86% (210 reviews); Metacritic 76 / 100; CinemaScore B+; IMDb users 7.6 / 10 (430,627 votes); movie.guru score 7.6.
- (cur | prev) 12:00, 17 October 2026 DataBot +2,000 Profile created from Wikipedia and Box Office Mojo: cast, crew, release dates, budget, official trailer.