Review of The Killer Inside Me (2010) by Tibor B — 15 Oct 2010

One thing that literature has over the film is the ability to really place you in the psyche of a character, the film medium always carries some level of objectivity and detachment. Michael Winterbottom's adaptation of this Jim Thompson pulp fiction novel suffers in this move to film.

Casey Affleck delivers an excellent portrayal as Deputy Sheriff Lou Ford, seemingly a baby-faced, nervous voiced, nice as pie local boy but with some brutally disturbing tendencies under the surface, as in beating girls he loves to a pulp.

Much has been talked about the violence in the film, which is graphic and shocking, but never gratuitous. The whole film revolves around these physical manifestations of the characters inner turmoil, the violence of which is perhaps where film wins over words in its depictions.

The point of the film may be the sheer indecipherable motivations of Affleck's character, but aside from some vague abuse flashbacks the audience is never really thrown any leads. This is a brave move, but the rest of the narrative doesn't make up for it, with secondary characters coming and going, sometimes completely incoherently, such as Bill Pullman.

Simon Baker's suspicions and investigation of Affleck are similarly very much in the background. The ending is spectacularly nihilistic but I was left with the feeling that this was either a missed opportunity, or just an impenetrable character that evades the cinema screen.