THE KILLER INSIDE ME

This was such a strange film.  It is directed by Michael Winterbottom, a director that rarely repeats himself and often goes from genre to genre without missing a beat.  He could never be typecast in the types of films that he makes, however whenever he explores a subject matter, he always tackles it head-on and takes it to the extreme.  For example, his movie “9 Songs” which is an exploration on just how much sex means in a relationship, he got his actors to perform non-simulated sex acts.   

For “The Killer Inside Me”, he is exploring violence as well as the reasons behind why men commit such violent acts (especially towards women).  This film already has a reputation for a scene where an unsuspecting Jessica Alba gets brutally beaten to the point where her face is severely swollen and her jaw bone exposed.  Regarding this scene, as brutal as it is, I think editing plays a big part of the impact and I do not think it is anywhere near as violent (that may be the wrong word, maybe graphic is better) as the “fire-hydrant scene” in “Irreversible” which it often gets compared to.  

The film is about Lou Ford, played by Casey Affleck (who, as good as he is in the role, unfortunately mumbles a lot of his lines), who goes out to a ranch to inform the prostitute (Alba) living there that she has three days to get out of town, but instead ends up falling in love with her.  The two of them come up with a plan to blackmail one of her client’s father, who happens to be a very rich and influential man in Central City (if the fact got out that his son had been with this sort of woman, it would be a blight on his reputation).  When it comes time for the plan to be put into action, it is amazing because everybody thinks that something else is happening to what really is, with only Lou knowing the true extent of his plan, which turns out to be motivated by revenge (as well as his bloodlust for violence) and not blackmail.   

By the end of this scene, two people end up dead by Lou’s hands and the rest of the movie has him dealing with the repercussions. As the bodies continue to pile up, the noose gets tighter, as the town begins to see Lou for what he really is and not the clean-cut nice-guy Sheriff he presents himself as.  As mentioned above, there are two brutally violent scenes directed towards women in this film, which happen due to the strange way Lou’s brain seems to work.  He always ends up involving the women in his life in his plans to take advantage of others (but in violent ways.  For example, he bashes the hell out of his girlfriend just so he can frame a person on his trail as a rapist).  

Whether or not the film’s exploration into why he performs these violent acts is valid or not is up to the individual viewer, but it seems to be suggesting that it is linked to and fueled by his love of S&M sex (dominance of women) which began, disturbingly, at a young age with his mother.  Overall, it is an interesting film that is worth checking out (but be warned about the graphic violence), but by the end of it, it does get a little silly and less believable. 

3.5 Stars - Viewed at the 2010 Melbourne International Film Festival