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The Killer Inside Me

Play trailer Poster for The Killer Inside Me R Released Jun 18, 2010 1h 48m Crime Drama Mystery & Thriller Play Trailer Watchlist
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56% Tomatometer 129 Reviews 40% Popcornmeter 10,000+ Ratings
An encounter with an aggressive prostitute (Jessica Alba) brings a Texas lawman's (Casey Affleck) homicidal tendencies screaming to the surface.

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The Killer Inside Me

The Killer Inside Me

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Critics Consensus

The Killer Inside Me is stylish and beautifully shot, but Michael Winterbottom's distance from his characters robs this often brutally violent film of crucial emotional context.

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Critics Reviews

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Deborah Ross The Spectator It does not endorse the violence, glamorise it, or normalise it in any way... But if Winterbottom had shown more discretion, had pulled back so that we might stomach it, at least, it would have been a considerably improved film. Aug 30, 2018 Full Review Ty Burr Boston Globe Rated: 2/4 Nov 24, 2011 Full Review J. R. Jones Chicago Reader This adaptation of Thompson's 1952 novel about a cunning, psychotic sheriff's deputy in a small Texas town locates the killer inside him and immerses us in the cold calculation and horrible logic that pull him from one murder to the next. Jan 3, 2011 Full Review Brian Eggert Deep Focus Review Although controversial and not for the timid, this unnerving, macabre tale of a psycho killer has its rewards for the right audience. Rated: 3/4 Aug 18, 2023 Full Review Rene Jordan El Nuevo Herald (Miami) Not the disaster that everyone complains about…A melodramatic thriller that could have been much more. [Full review in Spanish] Aug 2, 2022 Full Review Jason Best Movie Talk The prolific Winterbottom has got closer than most to the bleak spirit of his film's source - the 1952 novel by pulp writer Jim Thompson. No mean feat. Dec 4, 2020 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Danny D There's something missing from this movie version of the Jim Thompson novel, and I think there's going to be something missing from every movie version of this book. Ya see in the book Lou Ford is a gleeful psychopathic killer hiding behind the charade of being the bumbling sheriff. He pretty much enjoys himself right up until the end when he's setting himself a blaze, along with possibly the only girl he ever loved. And that is probably the most chilling thing about the book is how much he enjoys being psychotic. But there's a lot of difference between reading about killings and showing them in graphic detail on the screen. In the book I believe Thompson dispensed with some of the deaths with just a few words (although it's been a long time since I read it). There's no way to put these killings on the screen with the kind of realism today's audiences demand and leave any room for glee. I remember being afraid of Deputy Ford reading the book but somehow we don't get that from this movie. We're kind of more just following along the chain of events, following Ford just because he's the main character that we're always with. This one seems better than the 70s version, which I did not make it very far through. Stacy Keach looked more like Lou Ford in my mind, but that movie kind of sinks into a swamp of murky attempts to use film to show psychosis. This one is put together much better, but Casey Affleck just looks too young, too clean cut and innocent to really pull this off. He might let Lou Ford inhabit him some, but he doesn't register as a killer who betrays all. The plot by Jim Thompson is a very cleverly thought out chain of events, but trying to bring the characters to life and put this story on film, I don't see it ever working. But kudos to Jim Thompson for his great plot. He gets downright Shakespearean sometimes, especially with the ironies of well-loved Deputy Ford getting his due from a lowly bum who, disconnected from the society, saw right through Ford from the get-go Rated 3 out of 5 stars 07/28/24 Full Review Allison M Overacted and underdeveloped Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 08/11/23 Full Review Ernesto R Why? Just why? There was no need for this movie to be so graphic , I know some will say it was a creative choice , i creatively choose to call this movie sadistic trash! Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 07/28/23 Full Review Jelisije J If you want to see Casey Affleck as a deputy who is a complete sociopath trying to get away with a crime then this movie is for you. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 07/15/23 Full Review David F This film was a very faithful adaptation of the book but for some reason didn't catch fire in quite the same way. I think there must have been something about the narrative voice of Lou Ford, and probably the experience of seeing the action unfold on the page instead of in pictures that must account for the difference. I think the filmmakers and actors made a valiant effort here, and I give them credit for that, but if you want to see what all the fuss is about concerning this nasty little sendup of small town America, read the book. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 07/14/23 Full Review Audience Member My favorite crime drama! Also easily my favorite Jessica Alba movie Rated 5 out of 5 stars 06/25/23 Full Review Read all reviews
The Killer Inside Me

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Movie Info

Synopsis An encounter with an aggressive prostitute (Jessica Alba) brings a Texas lawman's (Casey Affleck) homicidal tendencies screaming to the surface.
Director
Michael Winterbottom
Producer
Andrew Eaton, Chris Hanely, Bradford L. Schlei
Screenwriter
John Curran
Distributor
IFC Films
Production Co
Stone Canyon, Revolution, Muse Productions
Rating
R (Disturbing Brutal Violence|Aberrant Sexual Content|Some Graphic Nudity)
Genre
Crime, Drama, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Jun 18, 2010, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Sep 27, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA)
$215.0K
Runtime
1h 48m
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