Inside Man (2006)

Inside Man

The Good:
The directing was excellent, I often forget how good a director Spike Lee is until I watch another Spike Lee movie, this was a well directed film.
The pacing was great, it keeps your interest and gives you just enough to want more.
The story was good, the acting was very good (Denzel Washington, Clive Owen, Jodie Foster, Willem Defoe, Christopher Plummer), and I loved the music in it, especially the opening scene/opening credits.
I liked the ending (I had written a lot more than just "I liked the ending" initially, but felt it gave away some of the plot).

The Bad:
I expected there to be more action in the film.
Even though I enjoyed the characters and story I didn't really feel emotionally invested in the drama.
I would have actually liked the film to be maybe a half hour longer (but I'm sure a 2 hour film is pushing the limits of the average movie-goer as it is).
Following on the heels of the last two comments, I would have liked to have seen a little more character development on both sides of the equation, but especially Clive Owens' character.

Overall:
I liked this movie. It wasn't awesome, but it was a solid film. It is not an action movie though... hostage drama I guess is what you call it. I would say it's "not quite a L.A. Confidential".