Director:
Roland Suso Richter
Starring:
Ryan Phillippe……….Simon Cable
Sarah Polley……….Clair
Piper Perabo……….Anna
Stephen Rea……….Dr. Newman
Robert Sean Leonard……….Peter Cable
Stephen Lang……….Mr. Travitt
Peter Egan……….Dr. Truman
Stephen Graham……….Travis
Dimension Home Video presents The I Inside. Written by Michael Cooney and Timothy Scott Bogart. Based upon the stage play “Proof of Death” by Michael Cooney. Running time: 91 minutes. Rated R (for language and some violence).
The I Inside is the type of film that is so good that it passes all the movie theaters and goes straight to video. Is it the fault of the studio (Dimension Films) or the film itself? A little bit of both, really. Every once in a while you can discover a direct-to-video release – or a movie with a short theatrical run – that surpasses your expectations. Some that aren’t bad include Equilibrium, John Dahl’s The Last Seduction and The Boondock Saints. For this home video release we have a movie whose packaging has a little blurb comparing it to Memento. Oh, this cannot end well.
Don’t get me wrong. The movie starts out fine. The main character, Simon Cable (Ryan Phillippe), wakes up in a hospital after an incident where wood-refinishing fumes caused him to have nervous convulsions and his heart to cease. He was dead for approximately two minutes. After resuscitation, Simon’s stomach was pumped to prevent further complications. The physician overseeing his recuperation is Doctor Newman (Stephan Rea). Gingerly getting accustomed to his new surroundings, Simon sits up and chats with the doctor. Simon seems okay, telling the doctor about his deceased parents and older brother. Then Dr. Newman springs the 10-thousand dollar question on him. “And the date?”
Simon looks outside his hospital window to try to guess the season. He thinks it is the summer of 2000. In actuality, it is 2002. Two years of his life unaccounted for.
Then the storytelling goes on autopilot. The movie’s biggest mistake is trusting the audience. None of the characters explain anything at first. The movie flashes back and forward and back again to the point that my mind is numb. And the only way to tell it is the year 2002 is by looking at the different type of chairs in an anteroom.
This does nothing for the audience. We need a protagonist like Leonard Shelby (Guy Pearce in Memento) who collects clues. These clues give us insight; they allow us to know what the hell is going on.
Moving progressively slow for a 90-minute feature, we learn that Simon has been in this hospital before, back in 2000, which is when his brother Peter was killed. Supposedly, he has a wife named Anna (Piper Perabo). Anna worked as an EMT and was somehow involved in the cover-up of the truth behind Peter’s death. The twists don’t stop. There is a blonde woman named Claire, what is her deal? Why all the secrecy behind Simon’s brother’s death?
The flashbacks Simon has are used to fill the gaps in his memory. But are they real or imaginary? Lots of questions need answering. When Simon has that one special Eureka moment we are alleged to believe that he can go back to the year 2000 and correct the past. Ahem, The Butterfly Effect, anyone?
The only compliment to give this film would be the musical score. A lost art nowadays, Nicholas Pike’s haunting compositions do their best to enhance the mood of the film.
Save yourself the trouble of trying to unravel the mystery behind The I Inside. A poor man’s Memento. Actually, strike that. This movie has more in common with Donnie Darko and 1990’s Jacob’s Ladder. (If you know the ending to these films, well then, I just saved you a trip to the video store.)
THE VIDEO
For a direct-to-video release you shouldn’t expect much. The colors are a little dark. Faces have a darker complexion than they should. There are also some spots on the print that reduce the visual experience. That said, the film has anamorphic widescreen ratio of 2.35:1.
THE AUDIO
Dimension Films was kind enough to give us Dolby Digital 5.1. It’s okay, not great. Since this movie is heavy on the dialogue, most of the audio comes from the front speakers. The surround sound tries to complement Nicholas Pike’s score, but it falls flat. But look on the bright side. You can watch the film in Spanish with French subtitles. (What? No Spanish subtitles. Weird.)
SPECIAL FEATURES
The only saving grace for this feature film would be a nice collection of extras. Dimension Films skimped us on extras too. No commentary track. No stupid little EPK featurette. No animated menus. NO ANIMATED MENUS!!!! I guess animated menus were too much to hope for.
THE INSIDE PULSE
Sure, The I Inside may have been based on a play, but the material seems stale. It plays like an amalgamation of different thrillers of the past. Most notably Jacob’s Ladder. You have to wonder if this film was meant to be one of those movies where you leave your brain at the door. Well, as the protagonist slowly loses his mind; the viewer will be left to guess where his own went.
