I occasionally see canes of Lucky Bamboo for sale by the cane (maybe 18"-24" long) at Lowes and Home Depot. They have them just in something like a Florist's bucket and sold per piece, no pot. If you could find something like that, sounds like it would be perfect for you. Also, just adding what others have said about Sanseveria (Snake Plant, Mother-in-Law's Tongue). Can easily take low light, indoor conditions, & tolerate neglect and will give you that vertical look you are looking for.
I agree with those saying you might have problems with "true" bamboo indoors, especially in a low light area. Those that I have read about in the past that will do *okay* indoors only do so if they have high light in front of a sunny window.
In regards to ZZ Plant, they are tough plants and will easily tolerate low light and indoor conditions, but they can get lanky in low light conditions. I believe if kept on the drier side, though, they will grow much more slowly, and therefore could be more easily kept to a shape you are looking for if you were to buy one the size and shape you like. This is neither here nor there, but, interestingly, it is considered as having a compound or pinnate leaf. Each "stem" (actually the petiole) growing from the underground potato-looking rhizome is actually a pinnate leaf and what people generally think are the leaves are actually leaflets. Just something I learned recently.
