User reviews

Considering how great this movie was in the beginning I was stunned why I had never heard of it or why it only got a rating of 6.0 on IMDb. It had to have something to do with how the story unfolded. Turns out, that this is indeed the problem. The first 45 minutes of "The I Inside" are really a blast. The story sucks you in immediately and unfolds beautifully until a certain point is reached where the writer lost control and messed up what had been set up so well. All of a sudden the story's getting way over the top, apparently for no other reason than to keep the viewer puzzled. That wouldn't have been necessary. They could have taken the story anywhere as intriguing as it started. Unfortunately, the plot becomes uneven when the "rules" of the movie are adapted arbitrarily. The final solution doesn't really come as a surprise anymore. Worse still, it's not good enough to explain everything. It's obvious that there are mistakes and flaws throughout the script and it's a shame, because, as I've said, unlike a lot of other movies where the story is already set up for an impossible, unbelievable ending, "The I Inside" had a more than promising start. Anyway, although the movie isn't completely satisfying and kind of stumbles over its own feet, it's still very entertaining to watch. It has an atmospheric stage play-like atmosphere (in fact, the story has been adapted from a play called "Point Of Death") and there are some really creative suspense scenes. Summing up, "The I Inside" isn't the masterpiece it could have been, but it's a nice way to spend 90 minutes.

I've never liked the idea of test screenings. The changes they make just end up neutering a movie and making it "safe" for the general masses. But if ever a movie needed feedback to prompt a rewrite and alternate ending, this is it.

The first half of this movie is spectacular. It's atmospheric, tense, and confusing (in a good way). It kept you guessing the whole way. Much like Memento, it's an intelligent film that makes you watch closely and think. The story could have gone a number of directions.

...but the last half, it all falls apart. They start changing the "rules", the suspense gives way to straight storytelling, and the ending goes a completely different direction than it could have, and SHOULD have. It's not just that I didn't like the ending or that it didn't match my predictions. The problem is the truth is still unclear and viewers are left confused. Too much is left unexplained.

As it is, the film is wasted potential. A good story and a good movie, but one that could have been so much better with a different ending.

This is a little seen thriller and it's almost a shame, because it has quite a few good ideas. Some work, some might not work for you, but the overall story is very complex and very well told. It's not a movie, where you could say exactly where it is going. I don't think you could tell unless you had read quite a few articles on the film, which would be a shame.

But Ryan Phillipe does a great job, conveying this complex and very difficult emotional role he has to play. It's not only trying to keep up, where you are exactly (in the script), but in the overall structure of the movie. I know that some think that it does fall short towards the end, and I get the sentiment. But I still think the ending is pretty strong, to still make you rather like the viewing, than not.

This is a so-so thriller with a pretty boy hero going through a lot of convoluted flashbacks ala "jacob's ladder" and "butterfly effect". I noticed a taste of "identity" in the mix too. This movie has good suspense right up until the end where it just kinda goes limp without delivering the goods in a most pathetic manner. It replaced intelligence with obscurity since the writers only had the latter as a tool for plot development. Basically you are left wondering - huh? And .. do I even care what the real deal is with this story or is there even a cohesive story to be uncovered here? Or is it just some dumb ending slapped on the end in an attempt to tie up the hundreds of loose ends this weird script leaves hanging?

An amnesiac (Ryan Philippe) discovers himself leaping through time between 2000 and 2002 as his past returns to him.

This film has a decent cast. Philippe is, of course, the star and this film caught him not long after his celebrity peak. Sarah Polley is excellent, as always, and we also have Stephen Rea. So this is just a great little genre picture in terms of casting.

We then get a bit of mystery, a bit of science fiction. It is one part "Butterfly Effect" and two parts "The Jacket". Unfortunately for "I Inside", we would have to say that "Butterfly Effect" is slightly better and "Jacket" is significantly better than both.

This film begins extremely well and you are looking forward to an interesting and intriguing plot. Instead this film is too confusing, and you do not feel satisfied or entertained at the end. Ryan Phillipe portrays the character Simon extremely well, and his performance is worthy. Although I do not understand why directors insist films be so complicated we actually loose the simplistic enjoyment film audiences require. I found this film to be extremely disappointing and didn't fully understand the meaning of the text? This is actually the first film I have watched and thought what?? Very Very Disappointing! I recommend watching twice with a pen and paper in order to take notes and then you can maybe begin to understand the over complicated story line. I would recommend this movie for Film/Media Students. I like films with complicated twists but this was not the best. I recommend you watch Butterfly Effect, it is a much better attempt of this genre.

I will make this brief.

This is a decent movie. Is it completely groundbreaking? No. Will you enjoy it?

I DID.

There are ton of people on here talking about how it doesn't make sense, theorizing about the ending...comparing it to Butterfly Effect/The Jacket/... yadda yadda.

If you have half a brain in your head, you will at least think this movie is worth watching. The end is NOT hard to figure out. There really AREN'T any massive plot holes. Its just a good psychological thriller... with a hint of sci-fi/horror. The acting is 85% good.

This movie will not change your life. But. If you are like me and you have seen almost everything else the world of cinema has to offer.... this movie really isn't as bad as a lot of what is out there.

Oh. P.S. The fact that every time a movie like this comes out... people compare it to THE BUTTERFLY EFFECT... makes me want to vomit.

Butterfly Effect = 2 stars. The I Inside = 7 stars.

I'm surprised that some user comments found "The I Inside" even marginally watchable; there may be some star attraction in Sarah Polley or Ryan Philippe, but they are both ill used, and it is difficult for me, at least, to imagine genuine tears falling from Philippe's eyes as he mourns his existential condition with lines like, "This can't be --expletive deleted-- true!" and a moment later (as we switch to existential condition #2) "This can't be --another expletive-- happening!" (A reflective person, one gathers, this character apparently isn't.) Indeed, the action of the film (such as there is) is so preposterous, one can't imagine it happening anyway; but then this film knows not whether it is sci-fi or thriller, mystery or psychological drama -- no wonder the audience is reduced to focusing on its stars rather than on what they say or do as characters. Sorry -- a 2 star rating to a film that features glamorous actors in unglamorous, unflattering roles, and is absurd in the event to boot.

Without spoiling anything, the plot of The I Inside really disappoints me.

But it's still quite watchable. The blending of the stories is very well done. The main cast and supporting cast are excellent. The whole atmosphere is menacing and uncomfortable, in the right kind of way. And it's always nice to see Robert Sean Leonard in something. Even something that falls a bit flat, like this.

Just wish they had sat down and worked it out properly before they started making it.

I'd say watch it if you have nothing else to, it won't wreck your day.

But it could have been so much more.

A Fine Movie, but lacking in story... A puzzle-box movie, similar to rather Butterfly Effect than Memento.

Mostly it turns you on in the beginning, sliding through the story, keeping you thinking - when starts the thrill. Some good moments - similar to the Butterfly Effect.

Sarah Polley reminded me her next movie - My Life Without Me - all the time. It's a pity. Ryan Philippe though had his best presentation yet.

Still worth a look. Liked characters, and it had some style. Not all the answers will be answered, but still most of the points it lost are due to the ending...

The I Inside is a complex movie and while some may dislike it for it's complicating story lines others may just because of it.

When Simon(Ryan Phillippe:Cruel intentions,Gosford Park) awakens in the hospital after a near death experience, amnesia has erased the past two years of his memory. He learns that his brother(Robert Sean Leonard:Drive,Dead Poets Society) was killed, he has married a young women he doesn't remember (Piper Perabo:Cheaper by the dozen,Coyote Ugly)... and he is haunted by mysterious visions of the women whom he loved(Sarah Polly:Dawn of the dead,Go). Soon he starts to uncover the truth behind his brothers death and unravel the unbelievable turns his life has taken! So in my opinion if you enjoyed the movies Identity, The Jacket, and Memento you will probably enjoy this Psychological thriller.

In 2004, a film was released that starred a 'Pretty Boy' actor going back and forth in his memories and thinking he just may affect the past. That film was "The Butterfly Effect". And while this film certainly feels like that one, this seems to have better acting, while that one had a super high polished, glossy charm. I enjoyed both of them, too bad that this one only got a television premiere (in the States, at least) Whenever I see Sarah Polley, I'm always endlessly fascinated by how much she looks like a girl I know, but that's neither here nor there. I'd recommend this flick.

My Grade: B-

Where I saw it: Encore Mystery

What happens when you go to the cinema to watch "Just My Luck" but it is sold out, and so is "RV" and "United 93", and "The Ant Bully" and, believe it or not, "Curious George" where films you could see earlier? You end up watching "The I Inside". I don't want to write about this movie… I don't want to write about this movie. With a lot (a lot) of delay, "The I Inside" has arrived to our cinema theaters.

What on earth went wrong here? I can do some research and find the answer, although if isn't worth the space of my page. Roland Suso Richter, a German director, came to try in Hollywood and directed this picture. He's too stylish for what the viewer is used to see. He invents too much and ends up confusing him (although that's in part fault of the screenplay). What happened to him? He is directing TV in Germany and Hollywood hasn't looked for him in three years.

Writer Michael Cooney…Is this the same guy that wrote "Identity"? Is it possible for him to write such a mess as "The I Inside"? Apparently it is, and if you want to save him you could forgive him because the screenplay was adapted from his own play, and as I have said before, a play can be good but it doesn't have to make a good movie. Joined by Timothy Scott Bogart, Cooney takes you inside the world of a man who is able to change the future by changing the past.

I mean, of course the material they had in their hands was interesting; it could have created a cult classic or something everyone would have talked about. But that's not how it went down, and if you try to understand the film, you will get to the bottom of it. There is an explanation; but you're so tired by the time it arrives that you don't want to figure out anything.

Tiring is one of the best words to define "The I Inside"; and it is impossible not to compare it with "The Butterfly Effect", a film where you don't want to get to the end. You've got to compare then because the first one sucks and the latter one is great; because the cast of the first one is way superior to the latter one's…

I like Ryan Phillippe is a starring role: I liked "Cruel Intentions" and very much liked "Antitrust". But how can an actor like him not carry a film like this one? How can Ashton Kutcher do it better? Sarah Polley is much more talented than Amy Smart, but the same situation occurred. And Robert Sean Leonard; he is better than the whole 'Butterfly' cast put together…And Stephen Rea: he is an Oscar Nominated actor; please!

You can also find Piper Perabo in "The I Inside" but I doubt you'll be interested after all I've said. Forgive me if I'm to harsh, but there are few movies as bad as this one…It's the truth.

"When Simon (Ryan Phillippe) awakens in the hospital after surviving a near-fatal accident, amnesia has erased the last two years from his memory. He learns that his brother (Robert Sean Leonard) was killed, he has married a woman he doesn't remember (Piper Perabo)… and he's haunted by strange visions of the woman he loved (Sarah Polley). Soon, he starts to uncover the truth behind his brother's death and unravel the unbelievable turns his life has taken…"

Actually (or perhaps not…), Mr. Phillippe falls in love with his estranged brother's fiancée (Ms. Polley), which results in a violent confrontation - and, an even more tragic car accident, involving all three. Roland Suso Richter's direction of Michael Cooney's "Point of Death" is intriguing, engrossing, and imaginatively plotted. But, the ending does not really fulfill the film's promises - and, the lead character's relationships with both brother and lover lack passion. Still, it's more good than not.

****** The I Inside (2003) Roland Suso Richter ~ Ryan Phillippe, Piper Perabo, Sarah Polley