The Killer Inside Me (2010) Reviews

• far from perfect, but watchable

  wong-michelle12172010-03-22

  First off, this is a film that is made with a lot of artistry, if little heart. It doesn't bore, the directing is efficient, and it has an interesting premise: a sheriff who is also a serial killer.It's shot in an arresting style, all headlights emerging from a dusty road, and people sitting alone at diners as in an Edward Hopper painting. So that's 4 good things. However the lack of suspense does get to you after a while; if you establish that the protagonist is a monster from the get-go, you are not going to get a lot of ambiguity, and therefore no tension. Towards the end you are sort of just waiting for more violence to break out, which is inevitable. Ah yes, the violence. On this I differ from a large majority of the public, who seem to find it terribly gratuitous. I thought it is shocking, but that it is not entirely a bad thing. Yes, the scene of Jessica Alba being beaten to pulp will disturb, but then again i thought it was crucial to the story as well. What I do object to is the lack of conviction in the tone. As a serious study of a disturbed human being, it doesn't quite go far enough. David Lynch has definitely gone further. As something in the noir tradition, it falls short, capturing the style but not the world-weariness and the intrigue. (in fact, teenage noir Brick succeeds more on this level than The Killer inside me) And as a black comedy (whenever something terrible happens the banjos will kick in to give the film a perverse comic twist) again it doesn't go far enough (the Coen brothers are much better at this sort of thing, ultra violence shot through with humour). The last shot in which everything goes up in flames is almost laughable, but not in the right way. That said, this is an accomplished effort from a director who clearly knows his material well, and Casey Affleck gives an effortless performance as Lou Ford. And I like the often seamless segue from sex to violence and back to tender embrace; it illustrates perfectly the dynamics of S/M, if nothing else. One funny thing is the audience reaction. I saw this at the Hong Kong film festival, amongst a mostly appreciative audience. Nobody booed; in fact, there were lots of clapping. Distributors take note: this film might have a lot more prospects in Asia than in Europe/U.S.A., where violence on the screen is in fact quite common and quite widely tolerated. There were lots of laughing ; I think a lot of people felt that they were watching some sort of black comedy. Just an interesting cultural observation, as I have heard that the film produced very negative reactions at both Sundance and the Berlinale. So, in conclusion, definitely not everyone's cup of tea, but well worth a look if only to see how a twisted mind works. It's a good portrait of a disturbed man, even if the story is, ultimately, inferior to the character.

• Solid, but undeniably brutal and dark.

  lewiskendell2010-09-01

  "The trouble of growing up in a small town is everybody thinks they know who you are." I was initially interested in The Killer Inside Me because I'm a fan of both Casey Affleck and Jessica Alba, but I soon became even more intrigued by what I was reading in the early reviews about how brutal it is. And it is brutal. I don't mean the over the top, fanciful gore-drenched brutality of a movie like Saw, I mean the kind of realistic, stomach- churning violence that isn't easy to watch. This movie is definitely not for everyone, as a result. I just thought I'd put that disclaimer out there. The story is about a 29 year-old sheriff deputy named Lou Ford who leads a double life. He's a sadistic, violent, disturbed man who hides his true nature under the gentlemanly, courteous reputation he has amongst the denizens of the Texas town he's lived in since he was born. An encounter with a local prostitute triggers the violent urges in him that have been somewhat buried, and a cascade of murders upon murders result as he tries to cover his tracks and avoid the scrutiny of a district attorney who is deeply suspicious of him.  I though Affleck was great in this. The guy is just a natural actor, and he pulls off both the unnerving psychopath and small town local aspects of the character. I wanted Ford to get caught for his utterly despicable actions, yet I still found myself feeling anxious whenever he seemed in danger of being found out. If that's not a compliment of Casey's performance, I don't know what could be. Alba was good in her somewhat limited role, and it was a pretty risk choice for her to tackle a part like this where so much violence was directed at her character. Kate Hudson also does well in a role that very different from much of her recent work, and Simon Baker rounds out the main cast with a solid performance as the district attorney. I was drawn into this movie from the opening credits. If you're not put off by the violence and the sex (often mixed together), The Killer Inside Me is well worth watching. I thought the ending wasn't pulled off as well as the rest of the film was, but that's really my only complaint. Recommended.  

• The Most Faithful Lou Ford Adaptation Yet

  jneedleman2010-07-05

  If you've followed the history of this film, then you know it was twenty years in the making. The producers who optioned the rights were on a veritable quest. At one point, Val Kilmer was slated to act, Sean Penn, to direct. Eventually, many Thompson fans consigned the project to limbo, not knowing how passionate the parties involved actually were. (Chris Hanley is the same producer who delivered This World, Then the Fireworks -- one of the most faithful and unapologetic Thompson adaptations.) Having seen Winterbottom's final cut, I'm glad the producers took their time. The screenplay writer and director have made a film so uncompromisingly faithful to Thompson's novel that a few audience members will usually leave the theater during the most graphic scenes. Make no mistake: This movie is more grisly than anything by Sam Peckinpah, and the subject is as misogynistic as that of Straw Dogs (though it's the character, not the director, who hates women in this case). If you're a person who can't watch or sanction scenes in which women are brutalized, then this is a film to avoid. If not, then you're ready to see the book represented in its pulpy essence, with excesses and virtues on display. Psychopathic sheriff Lou Ford is equal parts self-destructive sadist, con man and facade. For him, excessive politeness and long-windedness are forms of veiled hostility. Brutal sarcasm is delivered in a good-natured everyman way. Everything Ford says is double entendre, the punchline, only apparent to him. He ushers people to their doom in the same tone he might use to offer them a drink. Other film adaptations, from Tavernier's Coup de Torchon to the 70s version of Killer, have missed Ford's quintessentially Southern hostility. Those French and So Cal readings failed to recognize the specific way in which Thompson, himself a Texan, turns the naive good-natured American stereotype on its head. Winterbottom understands it and shows it, as does his lead. The actor who plays Ford is famous but not yet so ubiquitous that his celebrity obscures the power of Ford's character. Since character carries an unusual amount of weight in Thompson stories, Casey Afflick was a perfect choice: Likable and chameleonic, with an admirable range and a delivery so spent and inviting it will remind you of Bill Clinton's. You don't just enjoy this portrayal of Ford because he's an interesting villain. You actually sympathize with the character's attempts to regain self-control. When I read a reviewer's description of Ford listening to classical music and reading Freud, I groaned. I thought he'd been reduced to another Hannibal Lecter. The psychopath who resembles a James Bond nemesis and reveals his intelligence by listening to classical music and quoting Nietzsche is an '80s cliché. Not to worry: Affleck's Ford never talks about culture and he never air-conducts. From the period-specific tone to the apparent humility and social restraint of the killer -- which made readers sympathize with him even after he committed acts that seemed designed to justify the death penalty -- this film is to Thompson what Wynton Marsalis is to Miles Davis: Reverent to the point of sacrificing personality, but giving back everything in terms of performance, style and formal correctness. The attention to form was particularly appreciated: Having read the book twice, I knew what was coming and still enjoyed the ending.

• compelling portrait of a sociopath in an engrossing thriller‏

  antoniotierno2010-12-07

  Casey Affleck (Ben Affleck's younger brother) delivers a stunning performance as a psychopathic deputy sheriff; when his charming and well mannered guy appearance disappears the audience's shown violence both "ordinary" and of sexual kind. There's absolutely nothing voyeuristic in these scenes, difficult to see though they might be, on the contrary they're the moments where the movie really gets to make an impact on the viewers. The narrative's very gripping and Winterbottom's story manages to strongly connect on an emotional level. All the characters appear to have a "proximity" to the audience. On the whole the film always makes a strong impact and keeps the noir atmosphere required, furthermore its ability to shock is the key for being truthful and compelling.

• Police story developing dark sides of a personality as sadist and killer

  ma-cortes2011-12-05

  This intriguing film well screen-written by Jim Curran and based on a novel by expert Jim Thompson , it deals with Lou Ford (Casey Affleck , Ben Affleck's brother) who is a mild-mannered sheriff's deputy in an Oklahoma oil town in the mid 1950's . He is a West Texas deputy sheriff who is slowly unmasked as a psychotic killer . His chief (Ned Beatty) sends him to roust a whore named Joyce Lakeland (Jessica Alba) living in a rural house. It results to be a very unexpected and strong meeting which leads to them falling in love with each other and initiating a peculiar sadomasochistic relationship . As Lou falls for her and have daily sex for the next few weeks . She's devoted to him and becomes his pawn in a vengeance scheme she believes is to shakedown the son of Chester Conway, the town's rich king of construction whose wealthy son (Jay Ferguson) has relations to Joyce. Lou has a diverse project , continue his life with his girlfriend named Amy Stanton (Kate Hudson , Goldie Hawn's daughter) , however the bodies pile up as killing leads to killing . And the fact he's a sadist, a psychopath, a murderer . The district attorney (Simon Baker) suspects Lou but Lou stays easy. This noir film based on the novel by legendary pulp writer Jim Thompson contains thrills , suspense, intrigue , plot twists and lots of sadism and masochism with slapping , punches and hitting .The picture is developed on its first part in slow-moving , for that reason is a bit boring however later on starts the action and suspense and when the movie is more entertaining until a surprising final .Good performance by Casey Affleck as cool policeman who acts beneath a mask of revenge and undertakes a criminal spree as well as Kate Hudson playing his faithful girlfriend . Large support cast formed by prestigious secondaries as Elias Koteas as trade unionist , Tom Bower as deputy , Ned Beatty as boss , Bill Pulman as advocate and Brent Briscoe as bum. The movie is a bit violent and disagreeable but happens various cruel murders . Evocative and colorful cinematography by Marcel Zyskind , Winterbotton's usual . Very good musical score plenty of songs from the 50s . The motion picture is professionally directed by Michael Witterbotton who has realized all kind of genres, thus : Drama (Wonderland), costumer (Jude) , warlike (welcome to Sarajevo), Western (the claim), musical comedy (24 hours party) , documentary fiction (In this world), erotic(9 songs) , even sci-fi(code 46) and noir cinema (The killer inside me). Rating : Good though unpleasant film . Well worth watching