Review of The Killer Inside Me (2010) by Michael Y — 28 Jan 2011

Though not a film that was made anywhere near bad, The Killer Inside Me isn't as impressive as it sounds. It has it's moments, but the movie nor the book is the next American Psycho.

A small Texan town deputy sheriff on his way to get rid of a local prostitute ends up falling for her. They devise a plot to blackmail the son of the town's richest man, but the young deputy has a dark past and a plan of his own. His act of revenge will require him to kill more people, and he's willing to do so, even if it means killing the woman he loves. This all sounds very interesting, but this examination on a psychopath's murderous journey almost seems too simple. I can't really blame the acting in this movie. Casey Affleck does a great job as the lead, and Kate Hudson finally plays a role where she doesn't completely annoy me. The real fault is the story. The story is too detached from any personal connection with the characters, and the motives and the way the story plays out just seems too simplistic and cliche to be a "thrill ride".

The direction was good enough. This movie was definitely made with some good intentions, but this was definitely a movie that needed some real creative directing, and this movie just doesn't have it. It remains dark and dramatic, but still devoid of keeping the same pace through the entire movie. But his movie does have it's really great moments. There's some really good violence in this movie, (spacifically one with Jessica Alba that's almost heartstopping). This is a well made movie, but under a more powerful direction the movie's biggest problems would have been fixed.

All in all this movie is worth a look. The story is pretty intriguing, and there may be things about this movie I might like more a second time around. The Killer Inside Me is a very interesting story, but It's not something fantastic, and the movie could have been better.