We report a new experimental protocol for quantitative measurements of plasticity in confined metal thin films. Significant plastic flow within metal thin films can be affected in both confined shear and compression, demonstrated presently in Cu thin films. Sputtering was used to deposit polycrystalline Cu and CrN films sequentially onto Si substrates, forming specimen assemblies in which Cu films of various thicknesses were confined between Si and CrN. Cylindrical micro-pillars of CrN/Cu/Si were fabricated through focused ion beam milling, with the interfaces either normal to the axial direction or at a 45° inclination. Compression loading of the micro-pillars in the axial direction produced extensive plasticity within the thin Cu interlayers in both cases but with distinctly different responses. Significant mechanical size effects were observed in both cases, offering an opportunity for quantitative evaluation of materials' plastic response at small length scales under different deformation geometries.