"Inside Man" Directed by: Spike Lee

Starring: Denzel Washington, Clive Owen, Jodie Foster, Willem Dafoe and Christopher Plummer

MPAA rating: R (for adult language, brief violence)

Running time: 130 minutes

Least suited for: the 'possible-but-not probable' crowd

Most suited for: the heist fan

It's getting harder these days, cinematically speaking, to pull off a good bank heist. Most of the mediocre-to-good capers in recent memory-everything from "The Getaway" to "The Italian Job" to "Oceans 11"-dealt with preheist or post-heist angst and consequence. The last intelligent film that pretty much stayed inside the bank was Sidney Lumet's "Dog Day Afternoon," more than 30 years ago. Recent films like "Out of Sight" and "Bandits" are worthy enough-but again, the robberies themselves were plot devices to entwine the characters. (Hmm, do bank robbers make better lovers?) But when was the last time you saw a really good robbery for robbery's sake?

Wait no more.

Spike Lee's refreshingly inventive crime drama pretty much stays inside the bank for most of "Inside Man." Mastermind Dalton Russell (Clive Owen) persuasively tells us in the film's opening scene that he's pulling the perfect caper. Yet minutes after he enters the bank the police have surrounded the building. There are 30 or so hostages and four bank robbers trapped inside, and Mr. Russell's optimistic prelude seems to be in jeopardy.

Hostage negotiator Keith Frazier (Denzel Washington) is called in to save lives. Frazier's a good cop with a little problem- missing money from a previous investigation. He's under suspicion and one gets the feeling that he's not long for the force. Blow this one and things will only get worse. How's that for emotional baggage?

Once Frazier's at the scene, Russell's in no hurry to talk to him and Frazier's in no hurry to talk to anyone inside the fortress-like First Manhattan Bank. Like opponents in a lethal chess game, both seem wary of making a wrong opening move. And one senses that Frazier's mind may not be totally on the job.

Frankly, it's been a while since Washington's been this good. Gone is the edgy Hollywood swagger of "Training Day" and "Out of Time"; back is the underplayed emotional uncertainty of "Philadelphia" and "Crimson Tide." And Clive Owen's retained that "Sin City" growl that, in my book, puts him in the Russell Crowe league of "bad-boy gentlemen"-guys you really don't want to dislike, even when they're threatening to kill hostages, one by one, until their demands are met.

But of course, things in "Inside Man" are not as they seem. The bank's founder and president, Arthur Case (an elegant Christopher Plummer), is hiding something in a safe-deposit box. Something that makes him quite nervous. One begins to suspect that even the hostages are a distant, secondary concern to Mr. Case.

He calls for the services of the mysterious Madeline White (a sleek, subdued Jody Foster). White's a high-priced troubleshooter who agrees to help Case, no questions asked. She's part PI, part shrink, and very much a problem-solver-trading favors and secrets among the New York elite to get things accomplished. (Remember Harvey Keitel's portrayal of Winston Wolfe in "Pulp Fiction"? Well, she's like that, but better.) Admittedly, White's character is probably "Inside Man's" weakest link-not that Foster falters in the role, just that she's a tad too mysterious for this one, a bit too cavalier, too unflappable.

But did I mention that things are not what they appear to be?

Intercut with various stages of the robbery are Detectives Frazier and Mitchell (Chiwetel Ejiofor) interviewing various hostages, apparently post-robbery. It's a brave, unusual concept: hinting of an outcome before even basic issues are resolved. Yet one begins to feel a kinship with Frazier and Mitchell, as if the puzzle pieces that don't fall into place somehow belong to us, the audience, as well. Because "Inside Man" is, in reality, a gigantic, cinematic puzzle-and so well done I hesitate to hint at more.

What I will tell you is that Spike Lee is in top form ("25th Hour" and "He Got Game") in this one, probably one of his most unflinchingly watchable films. For fans of the bank heist, "Inside Man" is way up there, nearly flawless in both form and function. If there are any quibbles, these are of a distant "how and why?" nature-tidbits of detail untold or easily missed, but in no way instrumental to the film's enjoyment. In that regard, Spike Lee's "Inside Man" is a slam dunk. He done good.

In a nutshell: "Inside Man" is an original, fresh crime drama with a great ensemble cast that begins as a simple bank robbery and ends up as something else entirely. Not for a minute knowing where things may go makes "Inside Man" a superb cat-and-mouse gambit, with an ending worth waiting for.