The Killer Inside Me

Based on the novel by Jim Thompson, The Killer Inside Me details the murderous escapades of a sociopathic ’50s cop named Lou Ford (Casey Affleck) – with the character’s reign of terror ultimately impacting everyone from a local prostitute (Jessica Alba’s Joyce) to a tenacious district attorney (Simon Baker’s Howard) to his loyal girlfriend (Kate Hudson’s Amy). It’s a strong (albeit familiar) premise that’s utilized to consistently underwhelming effect by director Michael Winterbottom, as the filmmaker, working from John Curran’s screenplay, has infused the proceedings with an excessively lackadaisical pace that holds the viewer at arms length virtually from start to finish. (It doesn’t help either that, at 109 minutes, the film feels at least a half hour longer than necessary.) The middling midsection, which is, generally speaking, padded-out to an absurd degree, further prevents the viewer from working up any interest in or sympathy for the characters’ ongoing exploits, with the less-than-engrossing atmosphere effectively preventing the film’s overtly shocking moments from packing the impact that Winterbottom has surely intended. It’s worth noting, however, that The Killer Inside Me never quite becomes the all-out disaster that one might’ve expected, as the movie substantially benefits from Affleck’s eye-opening and consistently mesmerizing turn as the fairly reprehensible central character – with the actor’s stirring performance matched by a stellar supporting cast that includes, among others, Ned Beatty, Elias Koteas, and Brent Briscoe. (Bill Pullman’s third-act appearance as a shifty lawyer, on the other hand, doesn’t fare quite as well, with the actor’s gratingly over-the-top turn compounding the film’s progressively uninvolving vibe.) The end result is an overlong adaptation that primarily comes off as a complete and total misfire, which is a shame, certainly, given the film’s multitude of admittedly positive attributes (including the irresistibly pulpy landscape within which the narrative unfolds).

** out of ****