2006 was a good year for Denzel Washington on the big screen, because he starred in two high-grossing, high-quality thrillers: "Deja Vu" and "Inside Man." Just as "Deja Vu" was "Vertigo" as a time-traveling action movie, "Inside Man" was director Spike Lee's 21st century update on Sidney Lumet's "Dog Day Afternoon."

Written by Richard Gerwitz, "Inside Man" follows a hostage situation during a robbery at a Manhattan bank. Washington plays NYPD hostage negotiator Detective Keith Frazier, squaring off against the robbers' leader, Dalton Russell (Clive Owen). The story didn't begin with Lee (Ron Howard was in talks to direct "Inside Man" first), but he made it his own. "Inside Man" is definitely more of a crowd pleaser than something like "Do The Right Thing," as seen by it also being Lee's highest-grossing film to date, but it's absolutely a Spike Lee joint.

Lee's range as a director comes in part from the breadth of his knowledge about movies. When he's not directing, he's teaching film classes at his graduate alma mater, New York University. Lumet is one of Lee's filmmaking idols, and he relished the chance to make a movie in the same vein as Lumet's classic "Dog Day Afternoon."

Released in 1975, "Dog Day Afternoon" was based on a real 1972 bank robbery/hostage situation in Brooklyn. John Wojtowicz (renamed Sonny Wortzik and played by Al Pacino in the movie) and Salvatore Naturile (played by John Cazale) attempted to rob a Chase Manhattan bank because Wojtowicz wanted the money to pay for his wife Elizabeth Eden's gender-affirming surgery. Reporting suggests there may have been additional motives, including involvement from the mob, but the movie focuses on Sonny's efforts to help his darling "Leon Shermer" (Chris Sarandon) become herself.

The promotional materials for "Dog Day Afternoon" emphasize the fact it's a true story. The film's tagline, which came in several abbreviated forms across different posters, reads:

"The robbery should have taken 10 minutes. 4 hours later, the bank was like a circus sideshow. 8 hours later, it was the hottest thing on live TV. 12 hours later, it was all history. And it's all true."

"Inside Man" is not a true story, but as a piece of filmmaking, how does it compare to "Dog Day Afternoon"?