A DAMN good crime film is hard to find. For every Dog Day Afternoon there is an appalling Britflick about 'shooters' and 'blags'.

So thank God for Spike Lee and his excellent new release Inside Man.

It follows what happens when a gang led by Clive Owen takes control of a prestigious Manhattan bank.

Their demands appear old-fashioned - a plane to escape and buses for the hostages.

But Denzel Washington as the detec- tive in charge soon realises there is more to this raid than meets the eye.

He is smart but the crooks are smarter and something is afoot.

Plus there is Jodie Foster as the mysterious fixer hired by the bank owner.

Through glimpses of the future we learn that the raid ends in apparent victory for the crooks.

But this does not detract from the suspense of the siege, which is only broken by some earthy and well-placed lighter moments. In fact the pace barely lets up - and no time is wasted.

A lot of familiar crime film material is there - the allegedly perfect plan, the game of wits and the police internal squabbles.

But it's invigorated by Spike Lee's trademarks - tension, humour, cutting dialogue and excellent use of music.

In fact, it's more of a feel good movie than a crime flick.

Stephen Bailey