In these times of studios fleecing audiences with dreary sequels, dire films of television shows and a general lack of quality, it’s really nice to see a piece of well-made, entertaining cinema. Inside Man is a well-told heist movie, with a nice twist, which has good actors (Clive Owen as the brains behind the heist, Denzel Washington as the negotiator at the scene, Jodie Foster as a behind-the-scenes fixer for the rich and powerful) in a well-directed film (Spike Lee making a non-Spike Lee Joint).

As with all good heist films, the trick is in showing a well-planned heist but keeps you guessing as to how it will end; this is achieved here by turning the heist into a hostage situation, kept going while the bank robbers appear to dig in a back room after stealing something from a specific deposit box that is not listed in the bank records. The setting is believable, the characters are engaging and Lee handles the whole thing like a pro (even throwing in a visual bit with Washington rushing towards the front of the bank without moving, as the camera fixes on him while he doesn’t move but the background does – a bit like a SnorriCam, but not attached to the body). Chiwitel Ejiofor continues his deserved ascent (co-starring with Owen again after Children of Men, he was in Serenity, and he’s going to be in American Gangster with Washington) with a small role as Washington’s partner, Willem Dafoe has a small role as the police captain in charge, and Christopher Plummer plays a powerful old man with a secret with ease. A decent cast in a decent film by a decent director? Will wonders never cease …

Rating: DAVE