The Killer Inside Me

[Gamblour.]

Trailer here

This was terrible. It's clear from the start that the script is just a piss poor adaptation of this book, which I have not read. The film is surprisingly hard to follow at times, relying on weak narration and redundant exposition, not to mention the number of times it breaks the 'show don't tell' rule. I think the script comes across as overly weak even moreso in Winterbottom's hands. This was the first film of his I've seen, and he seems to have a pretty loose relationship with the actors, letting them play with lines in a more 'realistic' way. But most of the actors, especially Affleck, just mumble their way through the film. It's a true mumblecore, if you like. The loose scene construction only exacerbates the problems in the script. I love Affleck, especially in 2008 with Gone Baby Gone and Assassination of Jesse James, he was fucking brilliant in both of those, but he's just not good in this, or maybe he doesn't have anything good to work with. Jessica Alba stands out like a sore thumb to boot.

What's more, Winterbottom's elliptical editing style is really boring and made a simple story hard to follow. He seemed to default back to sex scenes just to keep things interesting, but really they're the most boring part of the entire film. Affleck's psychology in the film is derived from his sexual relationships with women, but it never really means anything at all. And if we forgot that his aggressive ass-smacking indicates that he's violent towards women in a way that they somehow let him get away with, he mumbles through a little spiel about his mother that I never really quite understood.

The crowd I saw it with was pretty much utterly bored like me the entire time. There was, about an hour into it, one funny line followed by a decent montage that got people to wake up a bit, and it was close to being engaging at that point. But then it goes back to being terrible until the end when Bill Pullman shows up for no reason at all. He's really great, actually, but the point of his character...well, there isn't any.

This film is such a massive failing on so many levels that I'm just amazed so many great people were involved. I nearly walked out, and I haven't had the urge I think ever. I wasn't disgusted with it, at all. The violence was graphic, but over quickly and kind of tame in retrospect of the controversy it stirred (briefly). It's no Irreversible. I was severely disappointed.

[Stefen]

Oh, snap. Gamblour just pwnt this movie I was looking forward to.

[Gold Trumpet]

I read a review today that not only ripped this film, but just disregarded it. Summed up all the disinterest with a one paragraph review.

[Stefen]

This is the last time I buy into the playlist hype (but not really).

[Gamblour.]

I read a couple of reviews (Ebert and AO Scott) after I wrote this, and they're a bit more forgiving than I was because of Affleck's performance. It's no Last Airbender in terms of bad, but it's just not worth paying to see or even renting it.

[I Love a Magician]

my girlfriend did not like this movie

[OrHowILearnedTo]

Shame, it's my favourite Jim Thompson novel.

[children with angels]

While it's not an unmitigated success, this film is far better and more interesting than this thread would have you believe. Partly because it is so STRANGE: it's one of those movies that seems to exist according to its own rules alone, its logic and world appearing so alien that you (I) can't help but be sucked in. Its tone is also fantastically odd, and often borders on self-parody: it's this fact that I'm surprised hasn't been mentioned, because the odd balance between a very intense plot and its detached mode of telling is one of the defining features of the movie. It's a perplexing, challenging film.

[Pas]

Well, that's Xixax for you... overhyping these Pixars and dismissing disturbing shit like this. If it was not for the insanely graphic and unbearable violence, I'd say it's one of my favorite modern noir. As it is, though, I can't really imagine wanting to see it again.

It's hard to understand at times, yes, but I didn't mind it so much. It's beautifully shot, something else really. The dusty air, the lighting, the whole setting: brilliant.

Children is so right... Very challenging and atthe same time borders on self parody especially the end (100% weiiiiirdddd parody tone so weird)

What sucked:

-THE FIRE wow that was awful
-Kate Hudson, Alba. Both miscast.
-the violence was wayyyy too much. Useless, gratuitous.

I'll keep it short cause I'm on my iPhone in a friend's bathroom pretending to take a shit cause I want to talk about this.

[Stefen]

I'll keep it short cause I'm on my iPhone in a friend's bathroom pretending to take a shit cause I want to talk about this.

haha.

[Pubrick]

Wish we could marquee that but it's too long.

POSTING FROM FRIEND'S
TOILET. PRETENDING
TO TAKE A SHIT.

Something like that.

[picolas]

i don't care if you have to eliminate the 'XIXAX.COM'. that is getting marquee'd.

[Alexandro]

It was an interesting experience. A second viewing might help because the tone is so weird and uncomfortable and that just can't be a misstep.

I didn't really feel a big problem with the casting (a general complain i've found). Affleck is pretty solid and the girls are ok, they are no disasters or even close.

However it does have the same problem most Winterbottom films have, is that weird fastly-made quality, like no one really thought anything through that much. He can make a lot of films and that's fine, but most of them feel incomplete here and there and that's probably because they get made too fast.

[SiliasRuby]

I only saw this because of the line up and knowing nothing except it was based on a jim thompson noir novel. This film got under my skin. So much that I had to stop and start the film. Not since I watched 'Eraserhead' in the dark high during college did I get this freaked out from a film. I would have been able to swallow most of the movie in one sitting if it wasn't for the gruitious violence. Jesus Christ on ice it was tough to watch.

[Pubrick]

So what you're saying is.. you watched the film.