The Killer Inside Me

The Killer Inside Me.


Director: Michael Winterbottom.


Venue: IFC Center, 323 Avenue of the Americas, New York, New York. Theater 1
Date: June 20, 2010


Few titles have been higher on my list of 'Must-Sees' in 2010 than The Killer Inside Me. Based upon the infamous 1952 book by Jim Thompson, and boasting Casey Affleck as gentleman/sociopath Lou Ford and the versatile directing talents of Brit Michael Winterbottom (A Cock and Bull Story, Welcome to Sarajevo), my hope was that this film would be the highlight of the year so far. In that regard, it disappoints, but it is not without its merits.

Killer tells the story of Lou Ford, a 29 year old deputy sheriff doing his duty in the small West Texas town of Central City. One day, Lou is told by sheriff Bob Maples (excellent character actor Tom Bower) to go put a little pressure on prostitute Joyce Lakeland (an unexpected Jessica Alba, who doesn't really have the chops for the role) to leave town. When Ford arrives, Joyce becomes irate, and hits him repeatedly. At first resisting his impulses, eventually Ford pins her, removes his belt, and begins beating her backside. Joyce likes it. What begins as violent assault results in sex.
So begins a love affair, which results in the blackmail of Joyce's former lover Elmer Conway, whose father is local (corrupt) building magnate Conway (Veteran, brilliant Ned Beatty). Eventually, Joyce ends up dead, beaten savagely by Lou, who is revealed to be a ruthless and sadistic killer. From there on, the film falls into place as a film noir, with Lou trying to cover up his crime and his mistakes until one violent act leads to another, and often for reasons which are unclear.

That's the biggest problem with Winterbottom's take on Thompson classic novel, which is admired both for it's plotting and it's development of a truly disturbed individual. The director seems to be aiming for the latter much more than the former. In his quest to create a distinctive character in Lou, Winterbottom has lost command of his narrative. Events fly by without fitting into a comprehensible package. Characters appear and reappear, and their motives don't become clear (this is particularly true of Elias Koteas' turn as Joe Rothman - a fine performance, but the character's reasons for being in the film are woefully unclear until too much late). The narrative whizzes along, but the scenes themselves often feel long and languid, which creates a vacuum within the film. Winterbottom doesn't seem too concerned with building any tension or suspense, and the film's climatic scenes thus have little to no weight. It feels as though he hoped the story could take care of itself, while he and Affleck could create a monster.

And what a monster they've created. Affleck, so good in The Assassination of Jesse James..., builds upon his work on that film and has created something incredible here. His Lou Ford is a mesmerizing piece of acting. He creates a character that, to the film's audience, is terrifying, puzzling, and simultaneously naive and knowing - he's dangerous. However, to those around him ignorant to his true nature, Ford comes across as well-meaning, gentlemanly, and helpful. It's astounding.

So is the production. The 35mm cinematography is beautiful and crisp, and the production design is authentic to a fault. This IS Texas in 1958, no question. Everything, from image to sound to dialects, is top notch.

It should be noted that Killer contains extreme violence, particularly in an early sequence when Lou beats Joyce to death. Winterbottom has not spared his audience at all, and the effect is excruciating and horrible. We see, hear, and feel every blow. At times it feels questionable, but it is also something that sets the film apart from other films which deal with violence. Here, it doesn't feel like a cheap thrill, but rather an extension of a sick man's psyche. Likewise, the connection between sex and violence plays an important role in Killer, and, to Winterbottom's credit, he manages to make the (fairly violent) sex both arousing and troubling. It's rare to see that contradiction played out on screen, but it's done so effectively here.

In the end, Killer is a much more viscerally effective film and portrait than it is a thriller. It's sights and sounds are alluring and disturbing, while it's story suffers. Winterbottom is more interested in the world that these characters inhabit than he is the things that drive them, which makes for a unique, if flawed, experience.

3/5