 Inside Man is a 2006 American crime thriller film directed by Spike Lee , written by Russell Gewirtz . The film centers on an elaborate bank heist on Wall Street over a 24 @-@ hour period . It stars Denzel Washington as Detective Keith Frazier , the NYPD 's hostage negotiator ; Clive Owen as Dalton Russell , the mastermind who orchestrates the heist ; and Jodie Foster as the bank manager, who is forced to assist the criminals. Unterscheidung zwischen der 2006er Filmproduktion und der 2006er TV-Serie Inside Man. Inside Man is a 2006 American crime thriller film directed by