19-year-old Claude begins a 10-year sentence at a penitentiary. Rousseau, a member of Tarzan's gang, attempts to rape him soon after his entry, but Claude is not a novice at fighting and dissuades him from further attempts. Tarzan puts out a contract to assassinate him. The leader of a rival gang, Zizi Grenier, reveals the contract to Claude and offers his protection if Claude will fight for him. The two gangs hold public boxing events to avoid all-out war, with disputed territories put on the line. Claude accepts, but over the course of these duels learns of the power gamesplaying out in the background. Claude becomes friends with Lucia and Jacques. He tells them about his love for a girl named Karine and their misadventures which led to his imprisonment, including petty theft, car theft, drug use, an attempted armed robbery gone wrong, and finally involuntary manslaughter during their escape. Lucia is later found dead in her cell. Claude quits the fights, and befriends a man known as "the Phantom". After Claude is raped with the secret backing of the prison administration, the Phantom helps him escape by illicitly getting him into the prison workshop, and hiding him in a locker shipped out of the prison. Claude rejoins Karine in her drug business, but on a delivery comes across one of the gang members who aided in his rape, arranges a meeting, and murders him. He is arrested and returned to the penitentiary, to learn of Jacques' suicide. Soon after he is subdued when he learns that he has AIDS, and at the Phantom's request is transferred to a minimum-security prison. The movie ends with a letter from the Phantom to Karine informing her of his transfer.
Inside has received mixed reviews from critics and audiences. Scott Foundas of Variety on 16 October 2002 stated a "by-the-numbers prison drama", with a "litany of prison-movie cliches" and it "won’t travel far outside its native borders". efilmcritic.com said a "gritty, uncompromising prison drama", "it's hard to watch, but it rings so true that it can't be dismissed" and "not a feel-good picture, but it is extremely well made". Charles-Henri Ramond from filmsquebec.com stated it was a "dark and violent social drama".
