Inside Man ending explained: The actual contents inside the safe box, revealed

The actual contents of the safe box in Inside Man are not what was told in the film initially. It is actually something else. The box reveals a case of treachery and prejudice in history.

Disclaimer: This article contains major spoilers for Inside Man. Reader discretion is advised.

Initially, it was told that the safety deposit box in the bank contained some papers in relation to the Nazi. But then, Detective Frazier finds out later that the box contains diamond jewels that Arthur Case had stolen from his Jewish friend during World War II. This act of betrayal committed by Case led to the Jewish person's death at the concentration camp.

Helmed by Spike Lee, the film follows the plot of a heist situation carried out in a bank by Dalton Russell. However, as we explore deeper into the story, we discover murky secrets from the past rooted in history and violence. Released in 2006, the film has been both critically and commercially successful.

The film stars an ensemble of talented actors, including Denzel Washington, Clive Owen, Christopher Plummer, Jodie Foster, Chiwetel Ejiofor, and Willem Dafoe, among others.

Let us find out more details about the ending of Inside Man.

Inside Man ending explained: What is actually inside the safe box?

In Inside Man, as Dalton Russell (Clive Owen) enters the bank to commit the heist, the owner of the bank, Arthur Case (Christopher Plummer), immediately sets out to protect to safety deposit box inside the bank. He gets Madeleine White (Jodie Foster) on board as his fixer to protect the box.

Dalton seems to know the truth about the box, as he interjects into the room and finds the box. As he opens, he finds some papers from the Third Reich. Russell then proceed to reveal implicitly that Arthur Case has established the bank by joining hands with the Nazis. However, the case gets darker and disturbing when we get to know the truth about the safety box.

It is also revealed that this whole heist was staged. The weapons used in the heist were not real, and none of the capital from the bank was stolen. The cops also get intermingled with the robbers and the hostages, as they are dressed in the same clothes.

However, there comes a point in the story of Inside Man when Denzel Washington's character, Detective Keith Frazier, has been asked by the authorities to withdraw the case. This makes Frazier's suspicions increase, and he begins his investigation with a search warrant obtained from the court.

Despite being intimidated by Madeleine White, Frazier does not back down. He finds out that there is no registration of the safety box in the bank records. He also records a discreet conversation between Case, White, and the Mayor.

As Frazier and Madeleine White come into a confrontation, White ends up revealing that the safety box contains the diamond jewels that Case had acquired by cheating his Jewish friend during World War II. It contains some unmounted diamonds, as well as a diamond ring from Cartier.

Towards the end, as Russell helps Frazier lead to the truth of Case's corrupt actions, Arthur Case and Madeleine White meet face to face about their actions by Frazier and his associate Bill Mitchell (Chiwetel Ejiofor). Frazier has strong evidence- the Cartier diamond ring, which Russell helps him acquire indirectly. He then proceeds to propel White to report Case to the War Crimes department.

At the end of Inside Man, Frazier finds himself with one of the jewels from the box, a piece of diamond, that has been planted by Russell into Frazier's pocket whilst they both crossed each other. Russell has given this to Frazier as a gesture of reverence.