Wow, this one lived up to the hype (if there was actually any where you live)! However, I thought this movie was a little slow and lacking on the fighting. In fact, the reason why this movie is not for kids is not because of the violence at all (there is very, very little), but rather because of heavy swearing and sexuality. I mean, Denzel Washington's comments about 'big Willie and the twins' was totally inappropriate. Anyways, this movie does revolve around Detective Keith Frazier (Denzel Washington), a divorced (but dating), smart man who has such a low rank because of his inability to negotiate. One day, a group of four bank robbers (Kim Director, Carlos Andr�s G�mez, and James Ransone), led by Dalton Russell (Clive Owen) and disguised as painters, break into a New York bank and take everyone hostage. When Detective Frazier is called onto the scene, he realizes this isn't any ordinary bank robbery, and something much above his pay grade is at stake. This is why the owner of the bank, Arthur Case (Christopher Plummer) calls in a top-notch official, Madeline White (Jodie Foster) to clean the mess up and keep things quiet. However, things just keep getting worse and worse in what appears to be a downward spiral. Dalton seems to have planned his 'perfect bank robbery' down to the smallest fingerprint, and there seems to be no flaw. One thing seems clear though, this is not your average heist! As the day, and night, and next day wear on, it appears that Dalton and his robbers aren't the bad guys after all. You'll have to see this movie to piece it all together, and believe me, it'll be worth it! I enjoyed the extra roles of Willem Dafoe and Chiwetel Ejiofor, playing other cops that help Detective Frazier get through the crisis. I was a little surprised by the music choice, including 'Gold Digger' by Kanye West and a Bollywood song called 'Chaiyya Chaiyya' [translation: 'Shadow Shadow']. A second thing that surprised me was the racial slurs/racy jokes that were very common throughout the movie. Spike Lee [the director] was kinda pushing it, but I guess I'm a good sport. I must say, the movie did have a lot of comical moments. So, overall, the acting was great, the plot was spectacular, and the adult themes were surprisingly bold. See this movie right away, it's worth both your time and money.
