I just re-watched the 2006 feature film INSIDE MAN, directed by Spike Lee, which was on TV tonight. I remember seeing this film in theatres and later on DVD. It's an incredibly smart and taught thriller of a film, very much in the vein of some of Hitchcock's best suspense films such as NOTORIOUS or THE MAN WHO KNEW TOO MUCH. I liked Lee's direction of the film and I also enjoyed the characters. To me, Washington's character of Detective Frazier and his interaction with Owen's character of heist mastermind Dalton Russell were similar to the back and forth between Sherlock Holmes and his arch nemesis Professor Moriarty or the interaction between LAW & ORDER CRIMINAL INTENT's detective Bobby Goren and his arch nemesis Nicole Wallace.
I remember reading after the film was made that a sequel was in the works with Spike Lee returning to direct, and actors Denzel Washington, Clive Owen and Jodie Foster (among others) all reprising their roles. It would have been Spike Lee's first sequel, and well-deserved in my opinion as the first film was very good, with a captivating storyline and characters that deserved to have future stories about them told. Overall I was looking forward to the sequel and seeing the original film tonight made me inquire as to the status of that sequel. Sadly, work on the sequel halted about four years ago in 2011 due to a lack of funding. Ultimately, if a sequel can never be financed, perhaps producers looking for a future project could look at developing INSIDE MAN into a compelling TV-show or mini-series, along the lines of BATES MOTEL, BATTLESTAR GALLACTICA, FARGO or HANNIBAL.