2006 was a good year for Denzel Washington on the big screen, because he starred in two high-grossing, high-quality thrillers: “Deja Vu” and “Inside Man.” Just as “Deja Vu” was “Vertigo” as a time-traveling action movie, “Inside Man” was director Spike Lee’s 21st century update on Sidney Lumet’s “Dog Day Afternoon.”
Written by Richard Gerwitz, “Inside Man” follows a hostage situation during a robbery at a Manhattan bank. Washington plays NYPD hostage negotiator Detective Keith Frazier, squaring off against the robbers’ leader, Dalton Russell (Clive Owen). The story didn’t begin with Lee (Ron Howard was in talks to direct “Inside Man” first), but he made it his own. “Inside Man” is definitely more of a crowd pleaser than something like “Do The Right Thing,” as seen by it also being Lee’s highest-grossing film to date, but it’s absolutely a Spike Lee joint.
Lee’s range as a director comes in…