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Inside

2023

Vasilis Katsoupis

Willem Dafoe, Gene Bervoets, Eliza Stuyck, Josia Krug ...

4.8

695

Thriller. Drama A high-end art thief, Nemo (Dafoe), who becomes trapped in a luxury, high-tech penthouse in New York's Times Square after his heist does not go as planned.

	Media	Author	Review
		David Rooney The Hollywood Reporter	"The director’s work can’t be faulted for its rigorousness (...) but even the formidable Dafoe at his most intense ultimately can’t stop it from succumbing to its own narrowness"
		Peter Bradshaw The Guardian	"This film is never dull (...) A strange, enclosed experience: Dafoe's mastery of the screen keeps it meaningful (...) Rating: ★★★ (out of 5)"
		Wendy Ide Screendaily	"This is no taut nail-biter driven by nervous tension, but rather an occasionally comic, slow-burning war of attrition waged on Nemo. And it works rather well"
		Kate Erbland IndieWire	"It only works because Dafoe does"
		Marco Vito Oddo Collider	"Unnerving Exploration of Art (...) It still manages to be equally tense and entertaining"
		Chris Barsanti Slant	"In the end, whether or not it achieves escape velocity from genre limitations though overt sociopolitical commentary is questionable (...) Rating: ★★½ (out of 4)"
		Pete Hammond Deadline	"A wrenching drama (...) Katsoupis makes it all watchable, essentially taking an esoteric idea and turning it into a psychological thriller about survival, an art film all about art and its meaning in our lives"
		Brianna Zigler Paste Magazine	"An attempt to convey something meaningful that instead only acts as a reminder of what's missing (...) Rating: ★★★★½ (out of 10)"
		Robert Abele The Wrap	"Willem Dafoe is a tour de force in audacious psychological drama"
		Rachel Labonte Screen Rant	"[It] is unfortunately a bit too long for its own good, though Dafoe gives a knockout performance (...) Rating: ★★★ (out of 5)"
		Alejandra Martínez Austin Chronicle	"'Inside’s' narrative being so muddled is a disservice to a promising concept (...) Rating: ★★ (out of 5)"
		Bill Goodykoontz Chicago Sun-Times	"[It] fails as metaphor, succeeds as Willem Dafoe showcase (...) Rating: ★★½ (out of 4)"
		Rafaela Sales Ross The Playlist	"The wretched allure of this process makes 'Inside' worth the investment even when Katsoupis proves unable to resist the charming hands of cliché"
		Michael O'Sullivan The Washington Post	"'Inside' is a one-man show. Its rewards —such as they are, in this bleakly depressing thought exercise— will depend entirely on your appreciation of its star (...) Rating: ★★½ (out of 4)"
		Martin Kudlac Screen Anarchy	"[It] is as playful as it is contemplative, surpassing genre limitations, and leaving the audience to their own devices following the protagonist"
		Siddhant Adlakha IGN	"Despite a stellar performance from Willem Dafoe as a contemplative art thief, 'Inside' lacks the smarts and visual panache to make good use of its single location"
		Barry Hertz The Globe and Mail	"Dafoe is captivating as always, but not even his slinking, slippery presence can save the film from turning into a rather torturous endurance test"
		Tomris Laffly AV Club	"Being stuck in a room with Willem Defoe is pretty thrilling (...) cunning, immersive art world critique"
		Murtada Elfadl Variety	"Director Vasilis Katsoupis concocts a clever premise and grand role for his star, but the story doesn’t have staying power"
		Katie Walsh Los Angeles Times	"A performance that is simultaneously primitive and transcendent, Nemo becomes a figure straight out of Greek mythology, but it’s unclear whether he’s Sisyphus, Prometheus or perhaps even Icarus"
		David Fear Rolling Stone	"Someone please dave Willem Dafoe from this messy movie"
		JIMMYO JoBlo	"[It] is a fascinating story. It is, at times, dark and compelling"
		Peter Sobczynski rogerebert.com	"The film has its moments, and Dafoe certainly gives it his all, but there's a hollowness that ends up rendering the whole thing fairly forgettable (...) Rating: ★★ (out of 4)"
		Meagan Navarro Bloody Disgusting	"Dafoe can make even the most peculiar character a fascinating watch. But the simplicity of this high-concept psychological thriller also means that it can be a bit of an endurance test (...) Rating: ★★★ (out of 5)"
		Dmitry Samarov Chicago Reader	"Perhaps as an ultra high-end escape room experience this might be exciting to try, but as a viewer watching from the outside, it’s excruciatingly dull"
		Marta Bałaga Cineuropa	"There is a good film hiding somewhere in 'Inside' (...) A good short film, as there is just not enough drama to keep things going"

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