THE KILLER INSIDE ME

UK, 2010, 115 minutes, Colour.
Casey Affleck, Kate Hudson, Jessica Alba, Tom Bower, Ned Beatty, Simon Baker, Bill Pullman.
Directed by Michael Winterbottom.

The title might indicate some caution to audiences who do not like murder thrillers and whatever violence they might portray. Murder will out. And here it comes out very brutally – twice.

The reason for mentioning this first – though it should not have to be said for an audience who understands films and how they work in their conventions of storytelling – is that there was some uproar concerning the tone of and reasons for showing these brutal actions and so viscerally. Because the violence was perpetrated on two women, some comments were made that film was misogynistic. (A film showing Catholics being martyred by vicious authorities is scarcely anti-Catholic.) This violence against women is shown as abhorrent in the plot and condemns the brutal beater as mentally disturbed. Director Michael Winterbottom suggested that any other reading of the sequences would be perverse.

It is the question of that distinction between what is shown and how it is shown that is always important. There is a context here – the portrait of a deeply dysfunctional man. Whether the scenes in question are too long or are too much is always a matter of personal sensitivities and debate: what is too much for me may not be too much for the person next to me and the question arises whether my sensitivity is superior to that of the next person or just different, and who imposes the sensitivity norms? (Not all of us, to take a neutral example, are able to watch surgery procedures.)

Michael Winterbottom said that he stayed close to Jim Thompson's novel and that the rhythms of what is presented is his judgment and his editor's work.

It seems that there is a 'fundamentalist' approach to the presentation of sexuality and violent sequences on screen
sometimes by earnest and devout people who concentrate over-literally on the immediate content, the 'what', without spending reflection on the context, the 'how' and move immediately into protest and campaign mode.

It is often said that much should be left to the imagination – and that opinion has great value. On the other hand, faced with harsh or repellent images of reality, the imagination might not work. It blocks. It avoids. It can refuse to imagine or go beyond a brief suggestion of the sexuality or violence.

And, the film itself. Very well crafted, an arresting adaptation of the Thompson novel. It is a film noir – very noir despite the bright West Texas sunlight back in those days where the film is set. Thompson died in 1952. The British Winterbottom brings an outsider's perceptions to this basic American story, the madness that sometimes underlies the surface innocence and respectability and erupts unexpectedly and brutally.

Performances are striking. Casey Affleck, plays the young policeman, fresh-faced and unsuspicious, who harbours deep secrets, abusive experience in his family, and who lets go, even against those he loves, leading to a climax in the vein of much American literature, a fiery apocalyptic consummation.

Affleck is in every scenes and shows how effective he can be as he did with his Bob Ford assassinating Brad Pitt's Jesse James. Here is another Ford, Lou, who loses control of himself sinisterly, shrewdly and destructively. Jessica Alba is striking, Kate Hudson less so, mostly a foil for Affleck. A strong supporting cast brings to life the local sheriff, tycoons, wastrel sons, investigators, union leaders: Ned Beatty, Tom Bowers, Elias Koteas, Simon Baker, Bill Pullman.

So, this is genre material for a psychosexual case study. It is an American story. The US is a land of serial killers, impulsive mass shooters who make regular headlines as they break out. This has to be faced by American audiences and The Killer Inside Me and its issues may be a brief but properly challenging experience.

1.The writings of Jim Thompson, his reputation, literary, insights? A genre writer? The film versions of his stories?

2.West Texas, the 1950s, Center City? The town, the police precinct, homes? The desert location? The contrast with Fort Worth? Atmosphere, score?

3.The title, Lou, his voice-over? The events, his feelings, the facts, the explanations, his seemingly innocent, devious, narcissistic? The abuse by his mother as a child, imitating the abuse with women, even of loved ones? His rage and its coming out? His death wish?

4.The introduction to Lou: a pleasant young man, explaining Center City, the traditions, his family, West Texas? Ordinary America of the 50s? The police, his role as a policeman? Ordinary? Bob as his boss, cooperation? His job? Going out to see Joyce, to evict her from the town? His authoritarian attitude, her slapping him, his punching her, the sexual encounter, slapping her as he had to do with his mother? The bond between them, his falling in love? His character, change, the visits? The set-up with Conway and his son, Lou’s plan, bashing Joyce, killing Earl, the gun and the set-up? Taking the money? The flat tyre, his escape? Coming to Amy? Conway and the discovery of the bodies and his stances?

5.Conway, his discussions with Lou, concern about his son, the meetings with the son, the son’s attitudes? Money issues? The plane, taking Joyce to Fort Worth, on the plane, sleeping, Bob and his drinking? His not going to the hospital? The news of Joyce’s death? His amazement at Fort Worth, getting the train home, Bob and his comment about the light before the dark?

6.The relationship between Lou and Amy, going on for years, her visits, sexuality, his using her? Love? His beating her in a similar way? The proposal, that they elope? His bashing her? The knife and the vagrant set up as killing her? Lou chasing him in the street, Jeff shooting him?

7.Lou and Conway, the plan, the money, Earl? The investigations and the uncovering of the plot?

8.Joe Rothman, the unions, the connections with Conway, the building sites, Rothman telling Lou about the suspicions of his brother’s death, that the brother had been set up by Conway? Rothman knowing the further developments, his hold over Lou? Sending his agent, his agent ranting in the institution, driving Lou away, talking with him, accusing him?

9.Bob, his role as sheriff, a good man, drinking, believing Lou, the investigations, his hanging himself?

10.The bar, the owner and his gratitude to Lou for helping his son? Johnny, the job, his arrest, interrogation, Lou visiting him in jail, the sinister discussions, Johnny hanging himself?

11.Howard, the investigator, the issue of the tyres and the prints, his theories, interrogations of Lou, accusing him? Coming again at the end, seeing the house go up in flames?

12.The vagrant, Lou burning the cigar on his hand as he asked for money, the vagrant overhearing and knowing what happened? The blackmail of five thousand dollars, Lou getting him to return, Amy dead, the pursuit in the street, his being shot?

13.Jeff and Howard, the arrest, Lou in the cell, the days, his time to think, plans, covering himself? His reaction to Bob’s death?

14.Going to the institution? The flashbacks to his relationship with his mother, the sexual provocation, the beating? With the little girl, his brother finding him? The little girl identifying his brother? Lou setting up his brother for death?

15.Getting out, with the agent, bluff and bland, going to the house, pouring the petrol? The shock of discovering that Joyce was still alive, his reaction, her declaration of love and not telling the truth about him? Setting the fire, Lou and Joyce being consumed? The apocalyptic fire at the end?

16.The accusations that the film was misogynist, too brutal? Michael Winterbottom saying that he wanted to remain faithful to Jim Thompson’s novel? Audiences and the psychosexual case study – and the need for some kind of visualising of this brutality to understand what happened and the character?