Surrounded in controversy The Killer Inside Me arrives in cinemas this week. Based on the Jim Thompson book of the same name from 1952, The Killer Inside Me tells the story of Deputy Sherriff Lou Ford (Casey Affleck) based in a place called Central City in West Texas. Now, like most member’s of law enforcement Lou is a pillar of the community. A softly spoken, helpful cop who tries to do the best for everyone. Quite quickly, we learn that this is as far from the truth, as the moon is from your face right now. On just another day in the office, Lou Ford is sent to have a few words with a local prostitute on the outskirts of town. He more or less gives her, her marching orders and she decides it would be a good idea to call him a few names and slap him about.
What transcends from here is the first scene of a number of scenes, that will have the Daily Mail writing for weeks. Joyce Lakeland (Jessica Alba) is thrown face first onto her bed, her underwear pulled down and Ford straddles her and proceeds to whip her with his belt, in a whipping frenzy that even Indiana Jones would close his eyes at. Lakeland eventually, through the pain, starts getting turned on by the whole ordeal and in what some might say, is a bizarre turn of events, the two get it on and embark on a passionate affair. From here the movie, already thundering along in a high gear, turns it up a notch.
The local builder’s (there’s always one) son is quite the fan of paying visits to Lakeland and as a result, his daddy wants the local lady of the night expelled from the town and embarks on paying her 10 grand to do such, with some assistance from Lou who explains that the son, Elmer, should bring the money as he is an officer of the law and it wouldn’t be proper for him to be seen with a large wad of cash. Lou turns up a bit early and Lakeland and her lover get it on before Elmer arrives with the cash. After a chilling piece of dialogue, the much talked about scene of Alba getting punched to death takes place. Without giving too much away, the bodies rack up and the story gets a bit more intricate (and at times a bit too complicated) as Lou Ford tries to stay one step ahead of the suspicion that is quickly gathering about him. The rest I feel, may touch on spoiler territory so I won’t go there. But expect plenty of twists and turns!
I’ve never read the book, so I can’t compare the film to the Jim Thompsons novel. But The Killer Inside Me, while a tough watch at times (I’ll get to that in a minute) is an incredibly compelling and engaging film.The performances are pretty outstanding. Casey Affleck has always been quite good, but he has upped his game immensely here in what must be one of the performances of the year. The way he changes from hick town cop to bat shit crazy sociopath is just brilliant. On a rare occasion, he glances at the camera, incredibly subtlety. Now I’m sure people will make up their own mind on this, but on these rare glance occasion’s there is a sense of madness portrayed that is second to none. The more I think about it, I’m not sure he actually does glance at the screen. It’s almost like I’ve imagined it, nah, he does do it. I’m pretty sure. Doesn’t he? Christ, this movie has really left a mark on me. It’s a credit to Michael Winterbottom because these tiny, subtle touches completely absorb you into the movie. It’s like your there for this chilling ride and again, the eye glances (I’m convinced they happened) are so subtle, its like he is acknowledging you viewing the whole thing and saying “Ha, I’m getting away with this”. And speaking of eyes, Jessica Alba, puts in an a pretty good performance. Far better than anything else she has ever done, but in the much talked about scene (as mentioned above) in her final conscious moments she looks at him, just for a split second, and the look conveys a fear of someone who is inches from dying, there is such an incredible amount of fear in her eyes.. And it’s at this moment that you almost believe this is more than a movie, because at times it’s like a fly on the wall documentary, the performances are really that convincing.
As for the much talked about violence. While there is not a great deal of it, when it does happen it is brutal, Christ it’s brutal. Some of what I had read made it sound like a non stop punch up. But the punches do come and when they do, they hit with incredible force as faces bruise and bruise and swell and swell. I don’t think it’s over done, and tragically this is a reflection on society where violence toward women is all too frequent. You will have to watch this with somewhat of an open mind, because it will cause offense to some people. That said If the particular scenes were shortened, the movie would possibly run the risk of losing much of its impact and what an impact it leaves. At times though, the story gets a bit too complicated for it’s own good and is also hindered by a number of pace reducing flashbacks. While this doesn’t bring the whole thing crashing down, it does demand your attention 100%
Michael Winterbottom (who's no stranger to controversy) has in my view made his finest work. The Killer Inside Me is stylised right from the get go, and the whole town looks pretty superb as a throwback to 1950’s America. For the best part, the pacing works really well and Winterbottom gets a superb performance from his cast, in particular Casey Affleck who is at times almost too convincing and some of the best moments for me are those almost subliminal glances at you, the audience. Strangely, I left the cinema with an incredible sense of calm and mesmiration, which is not something I was planning on feeling. I still can’t put my finger on it, but I’m pointing at the intensity of the movie, which by it’s pretty fantastic ending, gradually brings you back to earth. Again testament to Winterbottom.
The Killer Inside Me is an exhilarating and very intense experience and will leave a mark in more ways than one. And whilst it’s not for everybody, this is certainly one the cinema going experiences of the year. 
