Summary

• The big twist in Inside Man reveals Dalton was hidden inside the bank with diamonds, but the entire concept is far-fetched.
• Despite the twist's unbelievable nature, Inside Man remains one of the best heist movies, enthralling audiences till the end.
• The 2019 sequel, Inside Man: Most Wanted, bears almost no resemblance to the original film and lacks the essence of the classic heist movie.

As much as Spike Lee's Inside Man was a bank heist movie, it was also, at its heart, a story about social justice. Initially, it felt like the robbers, led by Dalton (Clive Russell), were simply stringing along the police. Marshaled by Detective Frazier (Denzel Washington), the robbers hatched a plan to escape among the hostages. However, as cool as the finale was, it has a major plot hole.

The cops' raiding was a pretty weird decision, considering the robbers indicated they would shoot civilians after faking a murder for the cameras. That said, Dalton wasn't with the robbers when they embedded themselves with the escapees. The big twist of Inside Man's ending was that he remained hidden in the storeroom.

Updated by Jordan Iacobucci on April 26, 2024: Spike Lee is one of the most prominent directors working in Hollywood today, with films like Do The Right Thing, Malcolm X, and BlacKkKlansman moving audiences to take a deeper look at their society and its racial norms. While not as thematically loaded as his other works, Spike Lee's Inside Man remains one of his best and most underrated films. A fun heist movie with a killer cast, Inside Man is especially memorable for its twist ending, which turned the tables on viewers who thought they knew exactly what was going on. What is this twist ending and how did it come to be?

The Twist Ending of Inside Man, Explained

The big twist ending is what the title of the film -- Inside Man -- refers to. Dalton literally remained inside the bank with mysterious diamonds and walked out a week later just like he said he would, leaving clues to the bank owner's nasty Nazi past. But this required a lot of luck to pull off after they retrofitted the stock room. It's ridiculous that no one noticed the room was smaller. Furthermore, Dalton occupied that small space without sneezing, snoring, or making any noise to let people know he was hidden behind the wall. The fact that he had his own toilet is preposterous as well since it was just a hole in the floor. Not to mention, if someone came for material in the printer boxes -- something popular in banks due to frequent document printing -- the ruse would have been up.

In addition, when Dalton crawled out from the confined space, he had no one keeping watch, so anyone could have caught him in the act. As he left the room, people in the corridor watched him in shock because no one saw anyone go in that direction. It didn't help that he was dressed casually and held bags, looking like he had just robbed the bank. Simply put, he looked way too suspicious, which was why an executive coming down the stairs even did a double-take. However, the fact no one raised a red flag seems unlikely, and it's a major risk that could have scuppered the flick's entire premise. As Dalton departed, the guards were stunned too. After all, they knew everyone coming in and out of that one entrance. Yet, when Dalton caught their attention, they just looked at each other quizzically rather than interrogate him about leaving a bank with a giant bag.

Despite Inside Man's Massive Plothole, It's Still A Great Movie

The heist film's big twist doesn't make for one of the worst movie endings of all time, but its ridiculousness certainly leads to plenty of unanswered questions. Ultimately, Inside Man's big finale is all plot convenience. Dalton had to escape to allow Frazier to go after the Nazi ring he left in the vault. Ironically, Dalton prided himself on not being seen, despite being spotted by many people and cameras. Not even sunglasses could have hidden his face, and it undid all the work he laid down for the heist where he blinded the cameras. It didn't feel as believable as if he had someone on the inside helping pave the way for an exit. The whole sequence was out of character for Dalton, who was too calculating and would never rely on sheer luck.

Even though Inside Man's ending leaves some viewers scratching their heads, it still deserves to be counted among some of the best heist movies ever made. Fun, unpredictable, and energetic, Spike Lee's 2006 movie can't help but keep audiences entertained from beginning to end. Even if the big twist is a bit unbelievable if one thinks about it for too long, audiences are generally willing to go along with it, which is the key to pulling off a twist in any movie. Whether realistic or not, Dalton's surprise strategy works both in the film and for audiences, making it one of the most memorable twists in any heist film.

Is There A Sequel To Inside Man?

In a world chock-full of unwanted sequels to great films, it was inevitable that a memorable classic like Inside Man would fall victim to the same problem. In 2019, thirteen years after the original film came out, Netflix released a sequel entitled Inside Man: Most Wanted. The film includes almost no connection whatsoever to the original film, with an entirely new cast of characters and a heist that has nothing to do with that of its predecessor. Most Wanted is a sequel to Inside Man in name only, bearing almost no resemblance to the original whatsoever.

The film takes place five years after the events of Inside Man, following the chaos that takes place when a group of bank robbers take over the Federal Bank of New York in an effort to steal the valuable Nazi gold hidden deep within the building. The robbers are led by Airella Barash, played by Roxanne McKee, who calls herself by the codename "Most Wanted." The ongoing hostage situation at the bank leads negotiators Remy Darbonne, played by Aml Ameen, and Dr. Brynn Stewart, played by Better Call Saul's Rhea Seehorn, to try to diffuse the situation and get everyone out alive. What follows is a tense standoff that leaves many dead.

Inside Man: Most Wanted is a disappointing follow-up to Spike Lee's classic 2006 heist film, failing to capture the energy or the fun twists of the original. Even for all its flaws, Most Wanted is enjoyable enough for a single viewing, especially for those who enjoy the occasional heist thriller. Even so, Lee's Inside Man stands out as one of the best of its genre, even almost two decades after its release. The film's talented cast and clever twists make it far more memorable than its 2019 successor, though both lack a certain plausibility that makes other heist films more realistic.