I had no idea 2006 Denzel Washington crime thriller had a sequel, and it's definitely worth a watch

Denzel Washington is one of the finest actors of his generation, the winner of two Academy Awards, and boasts a sensational filmography. He’s done action with Training Day, hard-hitting drama with Flight, and even Shakespeare with the more recent The Tragedy Of Macbeth. He’s especially iconic for his work in the crime thriller genre, and one of his very best is Spike Lee’s 2006 masterclass Inside Man, in which the actor plays an NYPD hostage negotiator attempting to diffuse a bank robbery. It’s vintage Denzel, but you may not know it has a sequel without him.

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Inside Man sequel Most Wanted on Netflix

In 2019, a sequel to Inside Man was released under the title Inside Man: Most Wanted, but neither Spike nor Denzel reprised directing or acting duties, respectively.

Directed by M.J. Bassett, known for helming Silent Hill: Revelations and Solomon Kane, the movie was released direct-to-video and follows Ariella Barash (played by Roxanne McKee) leading a small circle of robbers on a high-stakes heist.

During the heist, hostages are taken and NYPD task forces race to the scene with help from the FBI.

Not only sharing narrative parallels with the original, it’s a sequel because it also makes direct connections to elements from the predecessor.

I was honestly surprised when I saw it had been recently added to Netflix. Is it connected to the Denzel film? I thought, but didn’t actually expect it to be. Lo and behold, it is.

As it turns out, a concrete sequel to the original was announced back in 2006 and there was talk of Spike returning to the director’s chair. Negotiations with other talents continued over the years, with the intention to directly follow up the events of the first movie, Denzel reprising his character alongside Clive Owen as bank robber Dalton Russell.

However, in 2011 it was announced that plans to bring the follow-up to screens had been axed, despite efforts to bring it to audiences. Fast forward to 2019 and a sequel arrived, just not the kind viewers expected. All the same, it’s a solid crime thriller and even has an exciting appearance from Better Call Saul star Rhea Seehorn.

Denzel Washington movies on Netflix

The great Denzel may not be in Most Wanted but you can check him out in a handful of other movies streaming on Netflix, including Inside Man:

He’s also interviewed in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom: A Legacy Brought To Screen, which is available, as is the 2020 movie starring Chadwick Boseman it’s focusing on. Denzel was a producer on the film, and it’s well worth checking out the featurette after you’ve seen that.

Inside Man & Inside Man: Most Wanted are now streaming on Netflix.