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So far, every generation has had its own bank-heist movie. The ’70s had Dog Day Afternoon. The ’80s had A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square. And the 2010s got The Town. Yet when film fans start debating the greatest heist thrillers ever made, one title always appears in the list yet gets ignored, and it is Denzel Washington starrer, Inside Man.

Nearly two decades after its release, Spike Lee’s 2006 crime thriller is still considered a masterclass in misdirection, which is packed with enough twists. There is everything from hidden motives to thrills, and the best part would be clever storytelling. If you have never seen it before, you are in for a treat. If you have seen it, chances are you’ll press play again.

At first, Inside Man looks like a film you’ve seen before. A group of robbers led by Dalton Russell, played by Clive Owen, walks into a Manhattan bank, takes dozens of hostages and locks the whole place down. Outside, the police are scrambling to get control of the situation, while Detective Keith Frazier (Denzel Washington) is brought in to negotiate with the gang. On paper, it sounds like a fairly straightforward hostage thriller, doesn’t it?

But here’s the thing. That’s only the film Spike Lee wants you to think you’re watching. Because it doesn’t take long before things start looking a bit sus. The robbers behave… differently. They are sitting in a bank full of money, yet they do not seem interested in the money. Yes, the moves they make look calculated, but the objective remains ambiguous.

That’s where Inside Man begins pulling away from the pack. Most heist films are built around one question: can the criminals get away with it? Inside Man is asking something completely different. What exactly are they trying to achieve? The police don’t know, and neither do the hostages. And for most of the film, the audience hasn’t got a clue either. You’re constantly trying to play the guessing game, but you get nothing.

The most talked-about element of the movie is Denzel Washington (obviously) because you can’t take your eyes off of him. Opposite him, Clive Owen delivers one of the smartest performances of his career. Dalton Russell is so calm that it’s doubtful that he is even a villain.

Watching Washington and Owen try to outmanoeuvre one another is where much of the film’s entertainment comes from. Neither man is willing to give an inch. There is also a fascinating bit of movie history attached to the project. Inside Man became the highest-grossing film of Spike Lee’s career, earning more than $184 million worldwide. Not bad, really.

Part of what keeps Inside Man so fresh nearly twenty years later is the way its central twist holds up on repeat viewings. A lot of thrillers live or die by their ending. Once you have seen the reveal, the magic is gone. Poof! But Inside Man is something different. If anything, it becomes even more enjoyable once you know where everything is going. But a piece of advice: stay attentive from the start and notice all the little details.

Great heist films never really go out of fashion, and Inside Man is living proof of that. People are always looking for the next clever robbery or the next brilliant twist, especially when the films are too predictable and spoon-fed these days. In the world of predictions, Inside Man stays a step ahead.