Akito HirataThe Killer Inside Me
August 15th 2010 14:12
Kate Hudson and Casey Affleck put on their film noir faces
There’s a strong and immediate temptation to point out the shocking violence in Michael Winterbottom’s latest offering, The Killer Inside Me. It features some sickeningly protracted scenes of bloody brutality that had grown men sitting beside me in the cinema squirming with queasiness.
Adapted from Jim Thompson’s 1952 classic of the same title, The Killer Inside Me is a disturbing and studied look at the psyche of serial killer Lou Ford. A trusty policeman in an early 50s small town in Texas, Lou (Casey Affleck) reveals complex psychological workings that remain incomprehensible even by the time the credits roll. Affleck certainly gives a solid performance. We’re forcibly aligned with him from the outset of the film to its final moments; he’s in every scene. It’s an uncommon device, one where we as the audience are afforded the opportunity to develop both an unwanted fascination for and also an intense disgust with his vile character. Yet he remains largely inaccessible. We see what he does, but never fully understand why.
It doesn't help either that, in every case, the violence is visited upon a woman. Lou’s love interests, Jessica Alba and Kate Hudson, come with us for the ride. Neither are particularly impressive. With the exception of Sin City, Alba’s usually declined prostitute roles, so when asked why she signed onto this project, she responded with a vague "I-don’t-really-know". Well, I don’t know either. Playing what is essentially a punching bag for Lou doesn’t do her any favours. Hudson is used in a similarly shocking fashion.
In the end, we are left wondering whether the violence is excessive, gratuitous or whether it is a justified way of telling the story. In addition, Winterbottom’s unpolished reimagining of the book means that the small town noir feel to the film is somehow lacking too. Although The Killer Inside Me brings to light some of the book’s qualities, it does not really enhance the reading experience and we are left with a hollow portrait of a superficially charming killer who executes his victims in horrific and detailed ways.
3 STARS
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