The Killer Inside Me

Rating:
Summary: not good
Review: i bought this dvd and i regret it completely... it sounds really bad for what i had expected

Rating:
Summary: Great book, bad movie
Review: I was excited about seeing this movie because I am a huge Jim Thompson fan. Unfortunately, the people involved in producing this movie were unable to replicate the feel of the novel.

Rating:
Summary: Solid performance by Keach, but read the book first.
Review: Keach plays a deputy sheriff in a small town who's everyone's buddy. He's the kind of guy who settles barfights and counsels couples and gets kids cats down out of trees. Thing is, he's also a psychopathic killer who's quickly losing his grip on reality, and his ability to fool the people around him. KILLER INSIDE ME follows him through his rapid decline and ultimate doom. I looked for YEARS to find this movie, because I'm a HUGE fan of the book of the same name by Jim Thompson (who also wrote THE GETAWAY, THE GRIFTERS, and a number of other gritty, suspenseful books that became solid films). Ultimately, I was a little disappointed with this movie. In the book, the main character (it's told in first person from his perspective) is pure evil personified. He knows what he's doing is wrong and doesn't care a bit. In fact, he gets off on it! Hollywood had to make Keach a "poor victim" by pitching him as a nice guy whose terrible childhood catches up with him, and that kind of blew is for me. I mean, we're supposed to be rooting AGAINST this guy! That's the whole irony of the book! That said, Keach's performance is great (the way his eyes glaze over when his evil side comes out is just perfect), as is Susan Tyrell's performance as a scheming hooker. (Tyrell also co-starred with Keach in John Huston's wonderful FAT CITY, a film I HIGHLY recommend.) There aren't ANY extra features on this DVD (no production notes, commentaries, etc), and it's in full-screen, but you can't beat the price! In short, I'd recommend this movie if you're a Keach/Jim Thompson fan, but you should read the book (which I'd just bet you could find right here on this site) first.

Rating:
Summary: Solid performance by Keach, but read the book first.
Review: Keach plays a deputy sheriff in a small town who's everyone's buddy. He's the kind of guy who settles barfights and counsels couples and gets kids cats down out of trees. Thing is, he's also a psychopathic killer who's quickly losing his grip on reality, and his ability to fool the people around him. KILLER INSIDE ME follows him through his rapid decline and ultimate doom. I looked for YEARS to find this movie, because I'm a HUGE fan of the book of the same name by Jim Thompson (who also wrote THE GETAWAY, THE GRIFTERS, and a number of other gritty, suspenseful books that became solid films). Ultimately, I was a little disappointed with this movie. In the book, the main character (it's told in first person from his perspective) is pure evil personified. He knows what he's doing is wrong and doesn't care a bit. In fact, he gets off on it! Hollywood had to make Keach a "poor victim" by pitching him as a nice guy whose terrible childhood catches up with him, and that kind of blew is for me. I mean, we're supposed to be rooting AGAINST this guy! That's the whole irony of the book! That said, Keach's performance is great (the way his eyes glaze over when his evil side comes out is just perfect), as is Susan Tyrell's performance as a scheming hooker. (Tyrell also co-starred with Keach in John Huston's wonderful FAT CITY, a film I HIGHLY recommend.) There aren't ANY extra features on this DVD (no production notes, commentaries, etc), and it's in full-screen, but you can't beat the price! In short, I'd recommend this movie if you're a Keach/Jim Thompson fan, but you should read the book (which I'd just bet you could find right here on this site) first.