SusannahTHE KILLER INSIDE ME
April 11th 2011 06:39
THE KILLER INSIDE ME (2010)
Starring: Casey Affleck, Jessica Alba, Kate Hudson, Ned Beatty, Simon Baker.
Directed By: Michael Winterbottom
This film is rated R18 (in New Zealand) because it contains violence and sexual violence aimed at women. Set in the 1950s, The Killer Inside Me is about a police officer, Lou Ford, who is also a sociopathic killer. Based on the 1952 novel by crime writer Jim Thompson, this film is controversial and polarising because of its brutal depiction of the violence towards women. Like Lars von Trier's Antichrist, for example, you want the violence to have a point, to create a reaction within you that makes you think about the events of the film long after its ending. The Killer Inside Me did not have this effect. Instead I found the experience of watching it rather ho-hum, with no lasting impression.
The fault lies mostly with the casting of Casey Affleck. Talking in a silly, high-pitched Southern accent, rather reminiscent of Norman Bates from Psycho, or even Towelie from South Park, I was sure it was affected for the role, until I read comments about his voice being rather high in other films. It is quite distracting. Affleck, unfortunately for him, is not blessed with much screen presence, which is a hindrance when cast in the role on which the entire film hinges. Instead of an engaging complexity, Lou Ford is played with a vacant emptiness reminiscent of Patrick Bateman from American Psycho, which perhaps was intentional, but makes you wonder why any of the other characters ever thought he was less than creepy. Watching this movie I cannot help but think how much better the television series Dexter pulls off the same feat. The character of Dexter has a façade which he drops when in the presence of someone whom he is about to kill. But Lou Ford is the same level of creepiness all the time. His eruptions of violence are sudden and shocking, but there is no discernable shift in character, and therefore, he is not scary even when in the process of killing someone. The closest Affleck comes to eliciting any chills is when he is in the jail cell with Johnny. But that passes fairly quickly.
This makes it very problematic when it comes to Lou’s relationships with the female characters, Joyce (Jessica Alba) and Amy (Kate Hudson). Both actresses acquit themselves well in what are very similar, underdeveloped, and largely unforgiving roles. It is good to see both of them portraying characters different from their normal repertoire, with Hudson exchanging her trademark blonde hair for brown. Both women are inexplicably devoted to Lou, despite the fact that he is not charming, not funny, not intelligent, and has a preference for S & M during sex that neither women question. Joyce tells Lou she loves him while he is in the process of beating her to death, while Amy writes Lou a note telling him that although she suspects him of having gotten into trouble (murder), she will help him through it, no matter what. The worst violence in the film is directed at both these characters. And, spoilers ahead, the sequence where Joyce is beaten to death is particularly protracted and ugly. The scene for Amy’s murder is no better, in fact, if anything, it is more callous and ugly, demonstrating Lou’s complete disregard for human life, especially that of women. Two explanations are hinted at for the way Lou has turned out. His preference for is S & M borne from his babysitter (?) encouraging her to spank him when he was a boy, and seeing his brother commit a crime against a child. Both of which are pretty slim reasons for him turning out to be a sociopath and committing the crimes that he does.
The question remains whether the events of the film are objective, or whether Winterbottom intends Lou to be an unreliable narrator, who believes that his female victims love him. This is not clearly indicated either way in the film. Lou ends up in an asylum where he sees projector images of the women he has known on his wall. This is clearly a projection of his mind. But other events are less defined: are they for real, or are they inside his head? It has been suggested that the sequence after Lou leaves the asylum takes place in his mind. Perhaps it does, but by the time you get to the end of the film you realise that you don’t really care either way.
I was also bothered by the fact that the film actually looks ugly. Perhaps it was the projection I saw, but the colours are completely washed-out. The period detail is great, but the film itself looks so dingy, almost devoid of contrasts.
The Killer Inside Me is a film with horrible, shocking violence, that in the end serves no purpose, as you do not end up caring about the fate of any of the characters. Nor does the film leave a lasting impression.
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Starring: Casey Affleck, Jessica Alba, Kate Hudson, Ned Beatty, Simon Baker.
Directed By: Michael Winterbottom
This film is rated R18 (in New Zealand) because it contains violence and sexual violence aimed at women. Set in the 1950s, The Killer Inside Me is about a police officer, Lou Ford, who is also a sociopathic killer. Based on the 1952 novel by crime writer Jim Thompson, this film is controversial and polarising because of its brutal depiction of the violence towards women. Like Lars von Trier's Antichrist, for example, you want the violence to have a point, to create a reaction within you that makes you think about the events of the film long after its ending. The Killer Inside Me did not have this effect. Instead I found the experience of watching it rather ho-hum, with no lasting impression.
The Killer Inside Me poster
The fault lies mostly with the casting of Casey Affleck. Talking in a silly, high-pitched Southern accent, rather reminiscent of Norman Bates from Psycho, or even Towelie from South Park, I was sure it was affected for the role, until I read comments about his voice being rather high in other films. It is quite distracting. Affleck, unfortunately for him, is not blessed with much screen presence, which is a hindrance when cast in the role on which the entire film hinges. Instead of an engaging complexity, Lou Ford is played with a vacant emptiness reminiscent of Patrick Bateman from American Psycho, which perhaps was intentional, but makes you wonder why any of the other characters ever thought he was less than creepy. Watching this movie I cannot help but think how much better the television series Dexter pulls off the same feat. The character of Dexter has a façade which he drops when in the presence of someone whom he is about to kill. But Lou Ford is the same level of creepiness all the time. His eruptions of violence are sudden and shocking, but there is no discernable shift in character, and therefore, he is not scary even when in the process of killing someone. The closest Affleck comes to eliciting any chills is when he is in the jail cell with Johnny. But that passes fairly quickly.
Casey Affleck as Lou Ford
This makes it very problematic when it comes to Lou’s relationships with the female characters, Joyce (Jessica Alba) and Amy (Kate Hudson). Both actresses acquit themselves well in what are very similar, underdeveloped, and largely unforgiving roles. It is good to see both of them portraying characters different from their normal repertoire, with Hudson exchanging her trademark blonde hair for brown. Both women are inexplicably devoted to Lou, despite the fact that he is not charming, not funny, not intelligent, and has a preference for S & M during sex that neither women question. Joyce tells Lou she loves him while he is in the process of beating her to death, while Amy writes Lou a note telling him that although she suspects him of having gotten into trouble (murder), she will help him through it, no matter what. The worst violence in the film is directed at both these characters. And, spoilers ahead, the sequence where Joyce is beaten to death is particularly protracted and ugly. The scene for Amy’s murder is no better, in fact, if anything, it is more callous and ugly, demonstrating Lou’s complete disregard for human life, especially that of women. Two explanations are hinted at for the way Lou has turned out. His preference for is S & M borne from his babysitter (?) encouraging her to spank him when he was a boy, and seeing his brother commit a crime against a child. Both of which are pretty slim reasons for him turning out to be a sociopath and committing the crimes that he does.
Jessica Alba as Joyce
The question remains whether the events of the film are objective, or whether Winterbottom intends Lou to be an unreliable narrator, who believes that his female victims love him. This is not clearly indicated either way in the film. Lou ends up in an asylum where he sees projector images of the women he has known on his wall. This is clearly a projection of his mind. But other events are less defined: are they for real, or are they inside his head? It has been suggested that the sequence after Lou leaves the asylum takes place in his mind. Perhaps it does, but by the time you get to the end of the film you realise that you don’t really care either way.
Kate Hudson & Casey Affleck in The Killer Inside Me
I was also bothered by the fact that the film actually looks ugly. Perhaps it was the projection I saw, but the colours are completely washed-out. The period detail is great, but the film itself looks so dingy, almost devoid of contrasts.
The Killer Inside Me is a film with horrible, shocking violence, that in the end serves no purpose, as you do not end up caring about the fate of any of the characters. Nor does the film leave a lasting impression.
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