Grade: A- | Genre: Crime/Drama/Thriller
Summary: A "Spike Lee Joint" that delivers a satisfying, big-Hollywood heist movie in the best sense of the genre, sprinkled with a stellar cast that includes uber-cool Denzel Washington and Clive Owen. A nice night out for the money.

This movie introduces you to Dalton Russell (Clive Owen), criminal mastermind, with a monologue that appears to take place from a prison cell. So okay, we think we know how it ends, but hang on, sorting this plot out is half the fun in this two-hour flashback of a bank-robbery where cool, collected thieves execute a daytime siege of the main Manhattan Trust Bank. The heist happens when a band of gunmen take over this Wall Street bank and seize hostages who are forced to wear the same coveralls and white masks as the crooks to confuse the cops. Enter expert negotiator Detective Keith Frazier (Denzel Washington), who has his own cloud of mystery, as does this rich, complicated story of twists and turns. The dance begins between Frazier and Russell as they play mental games with each other in this film that is strongly reminiscent of some of Sydney Lumet's films such as Dog Day Afternoon and Serpico, and while this film is not exactly on the same par, it comes close and is a substantial effort in that direction. In fact, Frazier, makes mention of that epic film when he and mastermind Russell debate the escape plan details, by saying, "We've all seen Dog Day Afternoon, you're stalling."