Inside Man

In the sweltering August heat of 2005, Dalton Russell (character not specified) utters a boastful declaration within the confines of a dingy, poorly lit cell: he has executed the flawless bank heist. Meanwhile, in the bustling metropolis of New York City, a group of masked marauders, donning painter coveralls and adopting aliases such as "Steve," orchestrate a daring takeover of a Manhattan bank, snatching patrons and employees hostage. The robbers divide their captives into distinct groups, forcing them to wear identical masks and coveralls, shuffling them between rooms with calculated precision. Intermittently, the thieves insert themselves seamlessly into these groups, their true identities masked by the uniformity of their attire.

As police surround the bank, Detectives Keith Frazier (actor not specified) and Bill Mitchell take charge of negotiations, attempting to reason with the robbers. Russell, the ringleader, issues a demand for sustenance, prompting the authorities to dispatch pizzas bearing hidden listening devices. These bugs capture snippets of Albanian propaganda recordings, initially mistaken as Russian, featuring Enver Hoxha, the late Albanian leader. This unexpected discovery implies that the robbers anticipated and prepared for attempted surveillance.

Arthur Case (actor not specified), the bank's founder and chairman, learns of the predicament and hires fixer Madeleine White to safeguard the contents of a safe deposit box within the bank. Russell gains unauthorized access to this secure storage unit, uncovering documents linked to Nazi Germany, including evidence of collaboration and complicity in the persecution of Jews during World War II.

White, leveraging her connections with the Mayor of New York, secures an audience with Frazier, convincing him to permit her to converse privately with Russell. The fixer's influence is evident as Russell agrees to meet with White within the confines of the bank. During their clandestine discussion, Russell reveals the dark history surrounding Case's bank, founded on ill-gotten gains from Nazi collaboration.

Frazier demands a visual inspection of the hostages before allowing the robbers to depart, prompting Russell to conduct a tour of the bank. As Frazier exits, he deliberately provokes Russell, only to be restrained by another robber. This calculated manipulation leads Frazier to conclude that Russell is not a killer at heart. However, this perception is swiftly tested when a staged hostage execution unfolds, prompting an Emergency Services Unit team to mobilize.

The tactical response includes deploying rubber bullets to subdue those inside the bank. As Frazier becomes aware of the police's plan, he discovers that the robbers have covertly installed a listening device on the authorities; anticipating this move, the thieves detonate smoke grenades, remove their masks, and vacate the premises amidst the chaos, blending seamlessly into the released hostages.

As the authorities grapple with the enigmatic situation, they're stumped by the identical attire worn by both hostages and robbers, rendering their investigation futile. A thorough search of the bank yields a surprising discovery: the weapons employed by the perpetrators were nothing more than plastic replicas. Furthermore, a prop-filled fake hostage execution scene is exposed, leaving no tangible evidence of theft or robbery. Faced with an inability to identify the suspects and a lack of concrete proof, Frazier's superior demands he abandon the case. However, Frazier remains resolute, driven by his innate sense of justice. He delves deeper into bank records, unearthing a cryptic anomaly: safe deposit box No. 392 has remained conspicuously absent from the archives since the bank's founding in 1948. Undeterred, he secures a search warrant and begins to unravel the mystery.

Meanwhile, White attempts to persuade Frazier to drop his investigation, her words laced with subtle hints about Case's questionable past dealings. Frazier remains steadfast, refusing to back down. He then plays a recording of an incriminating conversation between himself, the mayor, and White, gathered earlier without their knowledge. The revelation sparks a heated confrontation between White and Case, who ultimately confesses that the box contained loose diamonds and a diamond ring he had pilfered from a Jewish friend he betrayed to the Nazis.

As Russell's opening monologue is revealed, it becomes clear that it was recorded while he hid behind a makeshift wall constructed by the robbers in the bank's supply room. He emerges a week later, bearing the contents of Case's safe deposit box, including incriminating documents and several bags of diamonds. As he exits the bank, he inadvertently collides with Frazier, who fails to recognize him. Russell then disappears into a waiting car filled with his cohorts, some of whom had already been questioned by the police.

The plot thickens as Frazier opens the safe deposit box, finding the ring and a note from Russell that reads, "follow the ring." He urges White to contact the Office of War Crimes Issues at the State Department about Case's heinous war crimes. Back at his home, Frazier makes a startling discovery: a loose diamond has slipped into his pocket during his earlier encounter with Russell. The game is afoot as Frazier realizes that Russell had cleverly planted the clue, setting him on a path to uncover the truth behind the enigmatic case.