-
Leave the Wrapping to Us
Sending a gift? Save yourself a little time this Father's Day by taking advantage of gift wrapping for just $3.99. We'll select from our coordinating papers, boxes, and ribbons to make your gift special. Note: Large items might arrive in a reusable cloth gift bag instead of wrapping paper. Learn more
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
From director J.J. Abrams comes the next installment in the Star Trek saga, Star Trek Into Darkness. See it at Cinemark theaters now and pre-order on Blu-ray, 3D Blu-ray, DVD, and the Exclusive Starfleet Phaser Gift Set. Shop Star Trek Into Darkness and more in the Star Trek Store. Learn more |
Special Offers and Product Promotions
Frequently Bought Together
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images? |
Special Features
Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
No stranger to literary adaptations, Michael Winterbottom sinks his teeth into Jim Thompson's noir classic for this cinematic murder ballad. Set in 1950s Texas, the story centers on Lou Ford (Casey Affleck, chilling yet strangely sympathetic), whose polite demeanor masks a murderer (and marks Affleck's second lethal Ford after The Assassination of Jesse James). The deputy doesn't lack for compassion, but a twisted childhood drives him to inflict pain. He's also a pathological liar, though a union leader (Elias Koteas) and an attorney (The Mentalist's Simon Baker) have their doubts. When Joyce (Jessica Alba), a hooker, gives him a hard time, Ford slaps her around, apologizes, and then falls for the feisty lady, even though his boss (Tom Bower), on orders from a construction magnate (Ned Beatty), asked him to escort her out of town. Plus, Lou already has a girl, schoolteacher Amy (a brunette Kate Hudson), so he finds a more expedient way to push Joyce--and other inconvenient individuals--out of the picture, but he isn't the sharpest tool in the shed, and his slip-ups outnumber his successes until he comes up with a plan to solve his problems once and for all. Cowriter John Curran's dialogue preserves Thompson's pungent text, though Affleck's drawl renders a few lines indistinguishable. Still, the film looks right for the era with bursts of graphic violence that feel postmodern. If it doesn't surpass The Grifters, The Killer Inside Me offers some of the same sinister thrills as No Country for Old Men. --Kathleen C. Fennessy
Product Description
Oscar-nominated actor Casey Affleck (Gone Baby Gone) gives his most chilling performance yet in the controversial crime drama The Killer Inside Me. Co-starring Jessica Alba (Fantastic Four), Oscar nominee Kate Hudson (Almost Famous), Emmy nominee Simon Baker (TV s The Mentalist) and Bill Pullman (Independence Day), this modern-day film noir shows a small town sheriff up to his neck in murders: his own. When Affleck s sheriff is asked to railroad a talkative prostitute out of town before she makes trouble, he realizes it s easier to just get rid of her for good. Unfortunately, covering up that murder means eliminating more and more people as his problems and complications spiral out of control. Even worse, he s starting to enjoy committing the crimes a lot more than he ever enjoyed dishing out the punishment. Based on the pulp fiction classic by Jim Thompson (The Grifters), The Killer Inside Me is an assured, stylish film [Guardian UK] that reveals the danger when a lawman s badge is hiding a cold, cold heart.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
61 of 69 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
An Analysis that Differs Significantly from other Reviewers.....
December 5, 2010
Format:DVD
For those who have not seen the movie, please read other reviews for plot synopses and be advised that the violence depicted is so graphic and realistic that no immature person should be allowed to view it. For mature viewers, the plot and dialog are reminiscent of Cormack McCarthy's work (i.e. Child of God) in which the psyche of a deranged, perverted lunatic is presented so dispassionately that you actually develop some (albeit minor) affection for him. It is a significant movie and definitely worth watching.
SPOILER ALERT: My review is for those who have seen the movie and are puzzled or disappointed by portions of it, primarily the ending. For ease of recognition, I will use the actor's names, rather than their character names.
Casey's mother died when he was quite young and he was introduced to sadomasochistic sex by a baby sitter. As a result, he begins molesting girls much younger than himself and is caught in the act by his adopted older brother, who is revolted by his behavior. Subsequently, when knowledge of Casey's crimes become wide spread, his innocent brother, being older, is punished while he is not. When the brother returns (from jail?) he begins working on a construction crew and is killed through the negligence of construction magnate, Ned Beatty. All of this is sublimated within Casey's mind until the nightmare is awakened when prostitute, Jessica Alba, slaps him. She "becomes" the baby sitter and they rekindle the violent SM relationship from his past, but now Casey is a grown man and capable of handing out a much greater, escalating, level of violence.
Casey beats Jessica to death in order to conceal the murder of Beatty's son and thus avenge his step-brother's death. He is also symbolically punishing/destroying the source of his torment and pathology, the baby sitter whom Jessica has come to represent. His youthful experiences have rendered him a psychopath, devoid of conscience, and he is fixated upon immediate, personal whims, without concern for others. Violent murder is a logical progression in his awakened and rapidly escalating sadomasochistic fury. Watch how he covers the faces of both Jessica and Kate during sex, which is generally from behind, so he cannot see their faces. Is it so he can imagine that they are the baby sitter, or perhaps the child-victims of his youth? It's obvious that, in his mind, they represent other people and their faces contradict his mental images.
I believe from this point forward, Casey descends into utter madness and his actions have no logic but to his own twisted psyche. His murder of Kate serves no purpose, because the "purposes" of an insane person are inscrutable. As with the prostitute, he and Kate have engaged in an escalating sadomasochistic sexual relationship and he probably realizes that marriage is not a desirable situation for him, so he simply ends it with a level of violence and detachment that are both shocking and entirely predictable. You don't talk your way out of an engagement to an annoying 'fly', you simply swat it....and then find a fall guy to take the blame.
Now here is where I strongly differ with all other reviewers....the ending. Casey is caught and sent to an asylum, where he whiles away the hours in his cell supposedly watching a strange slide show of pictures of his victims. We are effectively told the slide show is imaginary by the reaction of the nurse when he asks her to slow down the progression of pictures. Watch her reaction. This is a critical and widely overlooked point: the slide show is entirely imaginary, as is everything from that point on. He is not "saved" from the asylum by Bill Pullman (which excuses his otherwise preposterous bellowing), and he does not really return home to plot and execute the destruction of all his adversaries. Jessica is dead. She does not walk into his house and verify her "undying" love, and his tormentors (inexplicably unaware of the gasoline-soaked house) are not all neatly incinerated. This is all a product of Casey's twisted imagination....a glorious, fiery ending rather than the grim reality that his future was really to be spent watching an endless, imaginary slide show on the wall of his dingy madhouse cell. The ending rubs people wrong because it defies 'normal' logic. It is, however, a preposterously, insanely perfect ending when you consider where it actually occurred....in the mind of a psychopath.
SPOILER ALERT: My review is for those who have seen the movie and are puzzled or disappointed by portions of it, primarily the ending. For ease of recognition, I will use the actor's names, rather than their character names.
Casey's mother died when he was quite young and he was introduced to sadomasochistic sex by a baby sitter. As a result, he begins molesting girls much younger than himself and is caught in the act by his adopted older brother, who is revolted by his behavior. Subsequently, when knowledge of Casey's crimes become wide spread, his innocent brother, being older, is punished while he is not. When the brother returns (from jail?) he begins working on a construction crew and is killed through the negligence of construction magnate, Ned Beatty. All of this is sublimated within Casey's mind until the nightmare is awakened when prostitute, Jessica Alba, slaps him. She "becomes" the baby sitter and they rekindle the violent SM relationship from his past, but now Casey is a grown man and capable of handing out a much greater, escalating, level of violence.
Casey beats Jessica to death in order to conceal the murder of Beatty's son and thus avenge his step-brother's death. He is also symbolically punishing/destroying the source of his torment and pathology, the baby sitter whom Jessica has come to represent. His youthful experiences have rendered him a psychopath, devoid of conscience, and he is fixated upon immediate, personal whims, without concern for others. Violent murder is a logical progression in his awakened and rapidly escalating sadomasochistic fury. Watch how he covers the faces of both Jessica and Kate during sex, which is generally from behind, so he cannot see their faces. Is it so he can imagine that they are the baby sitter, or perhaps the child-victims of his youth? It's obvious that, in his mind, they represent other people and their faces contradict his mental images.
I believe from this point forward, Casey descends into utter madness and his actions have no logic but to his own twisted psyche. His murder of Kate serves no purpose, because the "purposes" of an insane person are inscrutable. As with the prostitute, he and Kate have engaged in an escalating sadomasochistic sexual relationship and he probably realizes that marriage is not a desirable situation for him, so he simply ends it with a level of violence and detachment that are both shocking and entirely predictable. You don't talk your way out of an engagement to an annoying 'fly', you simply swat it....and then find a fall guy to take the blame.
Now here is where I strongly differ with all other reviewers....the ending. Casey is caught and sent to an asylum, where he whiles away the hours in his cell supposedly watching a strange slide show of pictures of his victims. We are effectively told the slide show is imaginary by the reaction of the nurse when he asks her to slow down the progression of pictures. Watch her reaction. This is a critical and widely overlooked point: the slide show is entirely imaginary, as is everything from that point on. He is not "saved" from the asylum by Bill Pullman (which excuses his otherwise preposterous bellowing), and he does not really return home to plot and execute the destruction of all his adversaries. Jessica is dead. She does not walk into his house and verify her "undying" love, and his tormentors (inexplicably unaware of the gasoline-soaked house) are not all neatly incinerated. This is all a product of Casey's twisted imagination....a glorious, fiery ending rather than the grim reality that his future was really to be spent watching an endless, imaginary slide show on the wall of his dingy madhouse cell. The ending rubs people wrong because it defies 'normal' logic. It is, however, a preposterously, insanely perfect ending when you consider where it actually occurred....in the mind of a psychopath.
26 of 31 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
Beating New Life Into A Thompson Classic--"Killer" Pulls No Punches
August 19, 2010
Format:DVD
Bringing pulp novelist Jim Thompson to screen has always been a tricky proposition. His dark stories are easy to push over the edge of sanity. With their undercurrent of brutality, they can walk the line of comedy and/or surrealism but still maintain a realistic punch to the jaw. Getting that tone has been hit or miss in cinema--personal favorites are the sublime "The Grifters," "Coup de Torchon" and the underrated "After Dark, My Sweet." I was stoked to hear director Michael Winterbottom had taken on "The Killer Inside Me" which had been covered poorly in an earlier production featuring Stacy Keach.
Winterbottom has assembled an impressive cast including Casey Affleck, Jessica Alba, Ned Beatty, and Kate Hudson for this neo-noir piece. Affleck stars as a low-keyed and likable law enforcement officer who gets involved with a local prostitute and enmeshed in a murderous scheme. But to cover his tracks, further bad deeds need to be done--and Affeck seems to relish this new evil! It's best not to go into the specifics of the plot and to let the film unfold, but Winterbottom does not shy away from some explicit and surprising violence. It's unsettling, to say the least, but helps to establish an effective "anything can happen" feel!
Ultimately the success of "The Killer Inside Me" rests on Casey Affleck's shoulders. He is not the conventional actor one would picture for this role. Small in stature, relaxed in delivery (and enunciation)--his offbeat presence actually makes "The Killer Inside Me" even more intriguing. As he is not a predictable "leading man" or a particularly menacing presence, you're never quite sure what he's going to do. I found this lack of expectation to be quite invigorating and led me to accept and appreciate the twists of the film to a greater degree. To be fair, the film does get loopier and loopier--but I was happy to follow this sordid tale through to the completely over-the-top finale! KGHarris, 8/10.
Winterbottom has assembled an impressive cast including Casey Affleck, Jessica Alba, Ned Beatty, and Kate Hudson for this neo-noir piece. Affleck stars as a low-keyed and likable law enforcement officer who gets involved with a local prostitute and enmeshed in a murderous scheme. But to cover his tracks, further bad deeds need to be done--and Affeck seems to relish this new evil! It's best not to go into the specifics of the plot and to let the film unfold, but Winterbottom does not shy away from some explicit and surprising violence. It's unsettling, to say the least, but helps to establish an effective "anything can happen" feel!
Ultimately the success of "The Killer Inside Me" rests on Casey Affleck's shoulders. He is not the conventional actor one would picture for this role. Small in stature, relaxed in delivery (and enunciation)--his offbeat presence actually makes "The Killer Inside Me" even more intriguing. As he is not a predictable "leading man" or a particularly menacing presence, you're never quite sure what he's going to do. I found this lack of expectation to be quite invigorating and led me to accept and appreciate the twists of the film to a greater degree. To be fair, the film does get loopier and loopier--but I was happy to follow this sordid tale through to the completely over-the-top finale! KGHarris, 8/10.
10 of 12 people found the following review helpful
By Clarkep2
Format:DVD
"The Killer Inside Me" has created so much controversy over the past year because of the brutal s&m sex scenes and a vicious beating of the character Joyce (Jessica Alba) by the main character, Lou (Casey Affleck). I have read many reviews on this DVD that have highlighted this scene, and this scene only, which is a shame because the rest of the movie deserves merit too. Sources claim that Jessica Alba walked out in disgust and Casey Affleck did not attend the premiere. Both of these claims have been verified by the director (Michael Winterbottom). Anyone who is familiar with Winterbottom's work knows that this is not his first controversial film. "9 Songs" (2004) was also surrounded by controversy because of unassimilated sex scenes, and was panned by critics.
I want to start by analysing the pivotal scene where Joyce is beaten by Lou. Proffesional reviews of this film have claimed, because of this scene, that it is a "slippery slope from kinky sex play to vicious homicide", that "sex might be hot for these guys, but it's always foreplay to death". Both these claims are, in my opinion, ridiculous. Feminists that write on the film claim that it portrays women as weak, through Joyce not fighting back. Though I agree that it does not portray a positive light on women in the film, it also has to be taken into consideration that these women are not portrayed as the norm. It is obvious from the beginning that Joyce is a character with severe mental problems and Amy (Kate Hudson) is not given a chance to fight back. Also it is evident that Lou is as weak and problematic as the two girls. The death scenes don't glamorize women's death scenes as is the norm and the claims that the movie is like an s&m porn movie are highly ridiculous. One reviewer said "You can be turned on, but only if you're also horrified". I did not find anything erotic about the sex scenes. They fulfilled their purpose of making the viewer uneasy.
The only main problem I found with the movie was that the flashback sequences were a little too unclear. I was not aware from my watching that the woman in these scenes was his babysitter as a child and I am still confused slightly about the murder of his stepbrother. I understood why he became so deranged by these scenes but they weren't entirely clear. That said, if they played much more of a part in the film they would have taken away from the present day circumstances.
The acting within the film was superb. Affleck shone as the deranged serial killer. I believed, he himself did not know why he was killing people. The main surprise of the movie, however, was Alba. I was originally turned off this movie because of her stiff acting in other works such as "Honey", "The Eye" and "Awake". Though she has said, on several occasions that she wanted to be seen as a serious actress, I did not see any conviction for this until now. Her portrayal of Joyce was both dramatic and nuanced. Hudson was also in top form as Amy, Lou's girlfriend and the rest of the supporting cast were well-acted with the one exception of Johnnie (Liam Aiken), though that can be excused because he was not seen often.
In conclusion, I think that "The Killer Inside Me" fulfilled its goal of leaving the viewer with a sense of unease and was a successful film noir, reversing the idea of the femme fatale slightly and is another example of Casey Affleck's rise in Hollywood.
I want to start by analysing the pivotal scene where Joyce is beaten by Lou. Proffesional reviews of this film have claimed, because of this scene, that it is a "slippery slope from kinky sex play to vicious homicide", that "sex might be hot for these guys, but it's always foreplay to death". Both these claims are, in my opinion, ridiculous. Feminists that write on the film claim that it portrays women as weak, through Joyce not fighting back. Though I agree that it does not portray a positive light on women in the film, it also has to be taken into consideration that these women are not portrayed as the norm. It is obvious from the beginning that Joyce is a character with severe mental problems and Amy (Kate Hudson) is not given a chance to fight back. Also it is evident that Lou is as weak and problematic as the two girls. The death scenes don't glamorize women's death scenes as is the norm and the claims that the movie is like an s&m porn movie are highly ridiculous. One reviewer said "You can be turned on, but only if you're also horrified". I did not find anything erotic about the sex scenes. They fulfilled their purpose of making the viewer uneasy.
The only main problem I found with the movie was that the flashback sequences were a little too unclear. I was not aware from my watching that the woman in these scenes was his babysitter as a child and I am still confused slightly about the murder of his stepbrother. I understood why he became so deranged by these scenes but they weren't entirely clear. That said, if they played much more of a part in the film they would have taken away from the present day circumstances.
The acting within the film was superb. Affleck shone as the deranged serial killer. I believed, he himself did not know why he was killing people. The main surprise of the movie, however, was Alba. I was originally turned off this movie because of her stiff acting in other works such as "Honey", "The Eye" and "Awake". Though she has said, on several occasions that she wanted to be seen as a serious actress, I did not see any conviction for this until now. Her portrayal of Joyce was both dramatic and nuanced. Hudson was also in top form as Amy, Lou's girlfriend and the rest of the supporting cast were well-acted with the one exception of Johnnie (Liam Aiken), though that can be excused because he was not seen often.
In conclusion, I think that "The Killer Inside Me" fulfilled its goal of leaving the viewer with a sense of unease and was a successful film noir, reversing the idea of the femme fatale slightly and is another example of Casey Affleck's rise in Hollywood.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
3.0 out of 5 stars
Confronting
I didnt mind the story but the violence was very confronting. The plot was interesting but just didnt quite deliver the ending that makes you want to watch it again.
Published 3 months ago by Michael Harding
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Killer Inside Me
This is an excellent movie. The acting is superb...especially by Casey Affleck...who plays a sheriff who's not such a nice person in real life. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Matti Kniva Spencer
4.0 out of 5 stars
THIS IS A STRANGE ONE --BASED ON A 1950'S PULP FICTION NOVEL>
THIS IS CERTAINLY NOT FOR EVERYONE. It's a 3 star movie elevated to 5 star by Casey Affleck's STELLAR performance. There is GRAPHIC, SADISTIC VIOLENCE. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Holly
1.0 out of 5 stars
Too sick. Keep the details in a book.
I know this film has mixed reviews, and most will decide for themselves. I found this movie to be a very sick study of a character I could not stomach. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Lesa Rasure
1.0 out of 5 stars
The Killer Inside Me
I really disliked this movie a lot because of how horrible the women get treated and how they could try to protect someone as awful as him. I really wish I hadn't bought it.
Published 4 months ago by Mariette Nielson
1.0 out of 5 stars
Should Have Never Been Made
This is one of the worst movies I have ever seen as far as moral content is concerned, and I'm not even talking about the fact that Alba is a prostitute. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Heidi
2.0 out of 5 stars
A Twisted Movie
This movie was a major let down. I realize that some people enjoyed this movie, but I think it was very unsettling. Read more
Published 6 months ago by KevinB
4.0 out of 5 stars
A good movie while they mix elements of drama and suspense
The Killer Inside Me combines a pretty good story line with elements of drama and suspense triller. The movie is pretty intense with very graphic scenes but it actually adds to... Read more
Published 6 months ago by Jack D. Lowry
4.0 out of 5 stars
"He Had a Hot/Bad Mommy"
The film was kind of draggy at first, but then began to pique my interest. The beatings were admittedly gruesome, however, and I could never quite figure out why Lou was doing what... Read more
Published 8 months ago by Cary B. Barad
3.0 out of 5 stars
Killer inside me
Kinda weird and a lot if sex in it. I like suspense movies but I didn't realize it was so sexual. Aside that it was good.
Published 8 months ago by Kobe519
Look for Similar Items by Category
|
