The Killer Inside Me

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In this 1950s-set thriller, an adaptation of Jim Thompson's (The Grifters, The Getaway) novel, director Michael Winterbottom attempts to get under the skin of evil. What is it? Does it exist? If it does, could you see it on the face of a killer? The results here may be disturbing, but they're also mixed.

Lou Ford (Affleck) is a deputy sheriff in the type of Texan town where "you're either a man or a gentleman and God help you if you ain't". Ford is ordered to evict town prostitute Joyce (Alba), but when he arrives at her secluded home he's bowled over by her beauty. However, an argument ensues where Ford whips her with his belt and, this is where Winterbottom's film gets uneasy, Joyce likes it; the incident ignites a long-dormant memory and psychopathic instincts in Ford. They become lovers and decide to rip off Joyce's trick Elmer Conway (Jay R. Ferguson), the son of the wealthy Chester (Ned Beaty) and old school friend of Ford's, with whom he holds a grudge. On the night of the double-cross, Ford, now a sociopath, pummels Joyce to death, shoots Elmer and arranges the scene so it looks like the two had a lover's tiff that took a tragic turn. However, Chester isn't having it, and neither is local union boss Joe Rothman (Koteas) and DA Hendricks (Simon Baker).

The Losers was cavalier in its depiction of violence towards women but The Killer Inside Me, a remake of the 1976 original, tackles the subject with utmost seriousness. The one scene that will be the film's talking point is one involving Alba, which is tough enough to warrant a walkout. Affleck takes an age to batter Alba to "hamburger meat", forever whispering, "I love you" as he does, and Winterbottom's camera stays there for every strike. Oddly, she whispers the same back.

That scene may be the talking point, but what's the rest of the film like? Winterbottom is less concerned with the plot than a study of a cold killer. As the title suggests, this is an attempt to peek inside the mind and soul of a killer: Winterbottom comes up with reasons (not excuses) why Ford is psychotic... But is he evil? Winterbottom's camera doesn't find it on Affleck's smiling face and his narration, for the most part, ignores the terrible things he's done. Could evil play the piano so beautifully? Could evil fall in love?

Killer..., however, never gets out of second gear as Winterbottom asks the audience to immerse themselves in a character study rather than the twists and turns of a thriller, and it's testament to Casey Affleck that he keeps interest high despite the languid pacing. Affleck has narrated his last three movies (this, Jesse James and Gone Baby Gone) and for his last three movies this reviewer has struggled to understand what he's saying. His crackly, mumbling drawl has suited the characters he's playing, and he's delivered three outstanding performances in a row, but asking him to narrate is too much.