Art thief Nemo (Willem Dafoe) gets a lot more than he bargained for in the new film INSIDE. As with any theft, there is an assumed amount of risk to be sure. But through a series of unexpected turns, Nemo is trapped in a New York penthouse surrounded by priceless works of art. The objectifier becomes the object. Director Vasilis Katsoupis with a script from Ben Hopkins aims for a high-concept dramedy as the once stealth Nemo descends into deepening levels of madness. The film works for the most part and has Dafoe to thank. There are few other actors on the planet that could carry an entire film on their own and he does it admirably.

At first, the snafu seems fixable. Nemo chatters with his cohort on the outside but is soon abandoned. In the process of trying to override the high-tech alarm system Nemo inadvertently cranks the heat. The alarm is disabled the temperatures rise, and a strange silence sets in. Where are the police? Where is the building staff? enclosed in a pristine hell high above the city Nemo begins to fight for survival and sanity.

Hopkins, with a story from Katsoupis, mines the limited space creatively for all that it’s worth. Moving in and out of various stages of grief, the focus is on Nemo’s internal and external reactions to the prison he finds himself in. Surrounded by riches that he could easily plunder, they all become useless.

The austere apartment takes on an aloof, menace thanks to Thorsten Sabel’s crisp production design. A vast, cold space of plunder, the frigid look of the modern penthouse seems to mock its captor. Large, two-story panes of glass give way to a seemingly endless view of a city below that Nemo cannot reach. Then there are the elements in the apartment that indicate the owner is just as rigid as his surroundings. It’s the details strewn about the glorious set that tell a fascinating story as well.

Still, credit must go to Dafoe for his, if you will forgive the expression, towering performance. His gnarled expressive face stretches and contorts to convey everything from rage to acceptance at the position he is in. His minute physical ticks while cupping water from a shallow water feature in the living room for hydration, or the flecks of ice left in the all-but-empty freezer. This is up-close acting and he does it well.

INSIDE is a film that honestly defies categorization by riding so many genres. There are thriller aspects, definitely drama, and even comedy. Katsoupis allows the audience to be a fly on the wall as a once powerful and respected character crumbles. While I did enjoy the film, its pace and length may test certain audiences. There are some stretches that could have been trimmed or streamlined, but they don’t break the film. INSIDE is a worthwhile character study performed by an accomplished actor.

7 Out of 10