On The Inside (2011)

Starring: Nick Stahl, Olivia Wilde, Dash Mihok, & Pruitt Taylor Vince

Director: D.W. Brown - Rating: R - Score: 2 Stars

Allen Meneric (Nick Stahl) is sent to a hospital for the criminally insane, to be evaluated after he brutally murders his girlfriend’s alleged rapist. As he is introduced to his new surroundings, Allen quickly realizes this isn't a place where he belongs. This particular asylum is filled with evil psychologist, careless guards, and a whole variety of characters who are not as they seem. This was a strange film for me to rate and review, because of how up and down it was. The film, is itself very much like the characters portrayed in it. There are some parts that are absolutely phenomenal, while others very clearly should have been left on the cutting room floor. Going from one extreme to the other left the film, unbalanced, and certainly difficult to watch. Nick Stahl stars and to be honest, he's an actor I've never really cared much about. I've always found a lot of what he does and what he offers to be very bland. However, On The Inside he gives a great performance, and for what this film was, the whole cast was terrific. I imagine it would be challenging for anyone to play the kind of crazy these people were supposed to be. If I have one thing to say about this film, it's this. Had they taken the time to get feedback from the outside before the released it, they may have seen the flaws in it and corrected them. On The Inside had tremendous potential to really be something, but as it stands, it's just a metaphor for bipolarity.