Inside

Willem Dafoe plays Nemo, a thief who gets trapped inside a luxury penthouse after stealing some artworks. He has to survive on his own, with only his memories and some fish for company. The film is a tense and gripping exploration of isolation, identity and art, with Dafoe delivering a masterful performance that carries the whole film. Director Vasilis Katsoupis creates a suffocating atmosphere that keeps the audience on edge, while also offering some glimpses of humor and humanity. The film is not for everyone, as it can be slow-paced, repetitive and bleak at times, but it is a unique and daring experiment that showcases Dafoe's talent and charisma.

It started off intriguing, suspenseful, and interesting, but then it started to become stale, repetitive, bland, with improbable circumstances, absence of logic, and riddled with plot and technical issues.

And after a slowly paced 100 minutes of an incredible performance by DaFoe - the only reason I kept watching, the ending is not worth the ink the convoluted lazy screenplay was written with. It's all filler with very little substance, and merits no rhyme or reason this film was even made. It just all fades away as a waste of DaFoe's talents, and my invested time to watch this nonsense with hopes of some sort of grand finale.

Classified as a psychological artsy-type thriller, there's been many films like this done before and much better. As the second only film directed, produced and (co-)written film by Vasilis Katsoupis, his work was impressive, especially his camera shots, close-ups and angle choices. He captured the very best of DaFoe's talents. But Katsoupis could only do so much with Ben Hopkins' screenplay. Had Hopkins put more structure to the story, better plot development, and given us a more concrete conclusion, this film could've easily been more compelling than contrived. Sadly the results as-is, are a huge disappointment and I can't recommend this at all. It's a very generous 5/10, all going to DaFoe and Katsoupis doing their best with the terrible script they had to work with.

"Inside" holds great potential in its opening act, successfully capturing the viewer's attention with its intriguing premise. However, as the narrative progresses, it falls short of expectations, leaving the audience disillusioned. The proficient acting of Willem Dafoe serves as a beacon of hope, pulling the audience back into the story with his unpredictable character choices.

Regrettably, the film takes a sharp turn in the third act, as the plot unravels into complete incoherence. The final act takes place in a "Smart Home," and despite claims of the film being a work of art, the storyline fails to elicit any interest or excitement from the audience, ultimately resulting in a lackluster experience.

The potential displayed in the beginning is ultimately not realized, and the film leaves much to be desired. While the standout performance of Dafoe offers a glimmer of hope, the nonsensical and tedious nature of the latter part of the film leaves a lot to be desired.

Dafoe is excellent in this film. If you are a fan of his, I would definitely give this one a chance. The story is quite meandering at times due to a relatively plotless script, but I have to admit, when Dafoe gets to shine, he is impossible to take your eyes off from. I wish the thematic elements regarding "art is for keeps" was more consistent throughout the piece, and I wish some side characters weren't just throw away characters to expand the run time. This takes place in one location. If you don't like those types of movies or have no interest in Willem Dafoe as an actor, you really don't need to watch this one. Oh, and shout out to the pigeon for contributing to one of the funniest scenes of the year.

First off I really enjoyed this movie. It held my attention the whole time and Willem Dafoe did a great job at keeping my focus.

Movies in a single location with minimal cast are incredibly difficult to pull off but I think this one managed it.

The cinematography was spot on and the photography was there too. The acting made sense the script didn't feel forced and possibly the best atmospheric soundtrack in a very long time with use of tones rather than music tracks.

Now don't get me wrong I'm not fanboying all over this as there were a number of issues that arose but you'll have to watch it to make your mind up about them.

This movie will no doubt be boring to anyone who's a fan of say Michael Bay or Vin Diesel as it isn't an action packed joy ride.

For people who like something a bit weird but focused I'd definitely recommend it.