大象传媒

Until Inside Man, it didn't seem possible Spike Lee could make a dull film. But - after the commercial disappointment of the excellent 25th Hour and underrated She Hate Me - the firebrand filmmaker is going through the motions with this drab heist thriller. Denzel Washington stars as a cop trying to stop Clive Owen's thief from executing hostages and escaping a Big Apple bank. Jodie Foster pops up as a political fixer. Christopher Plummer is a banker. Great cast, but where's the drama?

At one point, Washington name-checks Dog Day Afternoon - the superb, character-driven Sidney Lumet picture that sees Al Pacino's desperate man caught up in a robbery gone wrong. It's an honest homage to a film Lee adores, but it only throws into stark contrast how middle of the road Inside Man is. There are a couple of references to institutional racism and post-9/11 angst, but the single most daring element is Washington's Panama Hat.

"PREDICTABLE AND DISAPPOINTING"

So, hardly what you would expect from the team behind Malcolm X. This feels like a safe play by Lee - a move to re-establish himself as a commercially viable filmmaker, in order to pursue more interesting projects. Which wouldn't matter if the pacing wasn't so off and the pay-off so predictable and disappointing.

Washington fans may still enjoy watching this most charismatic and skilful of actors and Lee remains one of the world's most exciting, interesting filmmakers. But if you go to Inside Man with high expectations, you'll leave feeling robbed.