Inside Man: Most Wanted (2019)

Movie Name/Year: Inside Man: Most Wanted (2019)

Genre: Action

Length: 105 minutes

Rating: R

Production/Distribution: Universal 1440 Entertainment, Netflix

Director: M.J. Bassett

Writer: Brian Brightly

Actors: Aml Ameen, Rhea Seehorn, Roxanne McKee, Urs Rechn, Akshay Kumar, Tanya van Graan, Andre Jacobs, Sven Ruygrok, Brandon Auret, Bjorn Steinbach, Adrian Collins, Aubrey Shelton, Kevin Otto, Jessica Sutton, Deon Lotz, Greg Kriek, Peter Butler

Blurb from IMDb: An NYPD hostage negotiator teams up with a federal agent to rescue dozens of tourists held hostage during a 10-hour siege at the U.S. Federal Reserve.

Selina’s Point of View:

I’ll start off by saying that Inside Man: Most Wanted is a sequel to Inside Man (2006) and I have never seen the original. That said, I do feel like I was better off not having seen the first one.

I found myself engulfed. I enjoyed wondering what was going on and just generally getting interested in the characters. I believe that would have been different if I’d seen the original first.

On its own, this movie was decent. I could appreciate Aml Ameen’s (Sense8, Parallel, Yardie) charisma and Rhea Seehorn’s (Veep, I Hate Kids, Better Call Saul) intensity meshed with the desperation of Roxanne McKee’s (Strike Back, Dominion, The Legend of Hercules) character. Had the memory of the first one been a factor, I do not believe it would have lived up to something featuring Denzel Washington (The Book of Eli, Unstoppable, The Equalizer) and the insane cast he was teamed up with – especially since that one was directed by Spike Lee (Chi-Raq, She’s Gotta Have It, Pass Over). As much as I enjoyed Most Wanted, I think seeing it first was the way to go.

What I do find is that it makes me want to go back and watch the original.

I enjoyed Inside Man: Most Wanted, I’d even watch it again or recommend it.

Cat’s Point of View:

I do enjoy a good heist movie. I am also pretty sure that I have seen the original Inside Man (2006) before. I didn’t do any pre-watch research, however, and hadn’t realized this was a sequel rather than a reboot or a coincidentally similar name.

My problem is that I didn’t really remember much of the 2006 film – which is surprising, given the cast and production team. I’ll chalk it up to over a decade of time passed and the sieve that is occasionally my memory. It is, unfortunately a downside of watching so many movies over the years. Some are going to fall to the proverbial cutting room floor of the mind’s eye, even if they might have been good. I gave it the benefit of the doubt.

That being said, it explained a good deal of my feeling of deja vu with some of this movie’s story elements. Thankfully, this wasn’t something I even came close to counting against the film. Generally, heist movies all follow a similar recipe. It’s the ingredients and variations on the preparation that make all the difference to distinguish them apart, after all. This one does reference information that helps the audience along with that, through details tying this film to the previous one.

Needless to say, I had a light-bulb moment when I did a little post-watch digging.

With that in mind, I actually have to give this one a few extra kudos because an audience member that has never seen the 2006 movie would not be lost or lacking important information.

Even with my sense of familiarity, this movie played out an intricate dance that kept me guessing.

I’d have to say that my favorite character was the charming detective Remy Darbonne, played by Aml Ameen (Lee Daniels' The Butler, Lila & Eve, Parallel). The character’s wit and charm flowed so smoothly… even if I did have to giggle a little at some of his dialogue.

Inside Man: Most Wanted is decidedly worth the watch - though, my recommendation is not to do so while fatigued or you might miss something. (I admit I had to watch twice due to fatigue-induced narcolepsy.) I think those that have seen the 2006 movie and those who have not would both enjoy this next installment of the tale. 

Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score – None

Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score – None

Metascore – None

Metacritic User Score – None

IMDB Score – 5.5/10

CinemaScore – None

Trust the Dice: Selina’s Rating – 3.5/5

Trust the Dice: Cat’s Rating – 3.5/5

P.S. There’s a short scene after the first part of the credits.

Movie Trailer: