The Killer Inside Me - Film Review

Let’s get one thing straight. Michael Winterbottom’s The Killer Inside Me is probably not the best movie to take a girl to on a first date. The graphic violence against women in this film is so severe and disturbing that your date might even suspect you of being a sadist for inflicting this painful viewing experience upon her. While many have condemned the film for it’s violence and accused it of being misogynistic, it’s stylishly shot film with excellent performances from a solid cast.

The Killer Inside Me is an adaptation of Jim Thompson’s pulp crime novel published in 1952. Thompson (1906 – 1977) has a reputation for being at the forefront of crime noir fiction and is respected by many, including bestselling author Stephen King “My favourite crime novelist – often imitated but never duplicated – is Jim Thompson." The Killer Inside Me is considered by many to be his best work, displaying his bleak, raw, hard-hitting style of writing. Iconic director Stanley Kubrick described the novel’s protagonist as “Probably the most chilling and believable first-person story of a criminally warped mind I have ever encountered.” Other notable film adaptations of Thompson’s novels include The Getaway (Sam Peckinpah, 1972 and Roger Donaldson, 1994 remake), The Grifters (Stephen Frears, 1990), After Dark, My Sweet (James Foley, 1990) and the first version of The Killer Inside Me (Burt Kennedy, 1976).

The story is set in a rural Texas town called Central City, where the courteous, devoutly Christian, quietly spoken Deputy Sheriff Lou Ford (Casey Affleck) is regarded as an upstanding member of society. It’s the 1950’s and a place where the sexes live by their refined roles, “It’s ‘Yes M’am’ and ‘No M’am to anything with wearing a skirt”. When Lou meets local prostitute Joyce Lakeland (Jessica Alba), their sadomasochistic relationship triggers something terrible inside him, the resurfacing of what he calls the ‘sickness’ that’s been repressed for many years. The violent, sadistic sociopath in Lou is awoken and neither the love from Joyce or fiancée Amy Stanton (Kate Hudson) can deter Lou from his path of destruction and murder. After Lou savagely beats Joyce in a scene that is seriously hard to watch, his ‘sickness’ is enflamed, “It was like a wind had been turned on a dying fire”. As the killings accumulate, suspicion grows around Lou and he becomes tailed by local union leader Joe Rothman (Elias Koteas) and county attorney Howard Hendricks (Simon Baker) as they strive to unveil him as the killer.

What makes this story so frightening is that we’re looking at it from Lou’s point of view. In other words, we’re exposed to the thoughts of the killer inside. This is the disturbing nature of the film, because we as the audience with our moral conscience are forced to grapple with the immoral behavior of the character. The most unnerving aspect of Lou’s personality is his lack of remorse, the indifference to his actions. There is an unsettling scene where Lou has just committed a murder, yet strolls casually around his kitchen whistling a tune and making coffee. He is an absolute cold-blooded killer that sees the murders as simply “something that has to be done” and that the victims “had it coming from the beginning”. Perhaps it’s our unrequited comprehension of his actions that makes him such a difficult character to digest. We are not given any emotional reconciliation, moral redemption or intellectual understanding for Lou. We get a few snippets relating to his youth, but no substantial explanation. We don’t get a psychopathic maniac on a rampage, where we can draw conclusions from his madness. Nor do we get an intriguing “John Doe” (Se7en,1995) intellectual type, where the rationale for murder is a calculated attack on the morality of society. Instead, we get an icy cold, conflicted character that sees himself as the facilitator for deaths that are inevitable.

From the slick and swinging opening credits, you know that Winterbottom is going to present an aesthetically stylish film. The lush cinematography incorporates elements of “film noir” and beautifully captures the vision and texture of the scenes. Lighting is carefully used to contrast the bright, glaring sunlight with darkness and shadows, reflecting Lou’s outwardly honorable nature with his inner evil.

There certainly are some shocking moments in the film, but it must be noted that John Curran’s screenplay sticks closely to the original source. It seems that Winterbottom has intentionally created a film where the language and tone articulated on screen remains true to the essence of the novel.

The violence in the novel is severe, but in the transition from page to screen, Winterbottom has chosen to challenge the violence head-on, taking it to the higher level of visual confrontation. The extreme, unrelenting scene of Lou literally smashing in Joyce’s face is brutally graphic and disturbing. This vicious attack scene contrasts with later scattered flashbacks of intimate moments between them, making him even more terrifying that he could be so ruthless and destructive towards someone he seems to love.

The cast give sturdy performances all round, particularly the outstanding Casey Affleck who has really blossomed in recent years, displaying his captivating screen presence and talent as an actor. He’s perfect as the killer Lou Ford, his innocent face and soft voice contradicts with his monstrous crimes. Often overlooked because of her beauty, Jessica Alba shows that she is an actor of substance. In a role that’s vastly different to her usual parts, she boldly takes on the demanding character of Joyce, who loves Lou despite everything. Kate Hudson also shows a departure from her usual lighthearted roles in a solid performance as ‘good girl’ Amy, who is another that accepts Lou’s abuse because of love for him.

The Killer Inside Me won’t leave you feeling warm and fuzzy but it’s worth seeing for being a well crafted, modern “film noir”. It is a fascinating portrait of a cold-hearted killer, with an exceptional performance by Casey Affleck. Indeed, it certainly is a harsh, bleak film, but it’s an artistic and accurate screen adaptation of a harsh, bleak novel.

3.5 out of 5 stars

Director: Michael Winterbottom
Producer: Bradford L. Schlei
Written by: Jim Thompson (Novel), John Curran (Screenplay)
Year of Release: 2010
Duration: 109 mins
Country: USA
 
Cast:
Casey Affleck – Lou Ford
Kate Hudson – Amy Stanton
Jessica Alba – Joyce Lakeland
Tom Bower – Sheriff Bob Maples
Simon Baker – Howard Hendricks
Elias Koteas – Joe Rothman
Ned Beatty – Chester Conway
Bill Pullman – Billy Boy Walker