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THE KILLER INSIDE MEMovie Reviews
Dramatic thriller, adapted from Jim Thompson's 1952 novel of the same name, about a deputy sheriff in a small town in 1950s Texas who is slowly revealed to be a psychotic killer. Cast:Casey Affleck, Jessica Alba, Kate Hudson, Simon Baker, Bill Pullman, Elias Koteas, Ned BeattyDirector:Michael WinterbottomRelease Date:June 18, 2010DVD Release:September 28, 2010From:IFCRating:RLength:1 hr 49 min
The Killer Inside Me played in key cities to mixed reviews. • Shawn Levy wrote in the Portland Oregonian, "It gives you the chills, flat out.... Affleck is remarkable... it's too well made to dismiss outright for its twisted cruelty." • And Stephen Whitty wrote in the Cleveland Plain-Dealer, "...the movie's a lot like its protagonist. It's full of smooth, dangerously attractive surfaces. But what's underneath doesn't quite work." More Reviews Below...
The Killer Inside Me Positive Reviews (32 Reviews, reviews below)
Christy Lemire, Associated Press: MODERATE(cg) "...well-made, yet difficult to recommend. It looks great, a mix of parched West Texas vistas and lush interiors, yet portions of it are impossible to watch without wincing."(See all of Christy Lemire's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 681 words, 06/17/10
Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly: GOOD(cg) "...may be the darkest film noir ever made.... doesn't suck us into a vortex -- it leaves us on the outside, staring and a bit dumbfounded."(See all of Owen Gleiberman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 263 words, 06/18/10
James Berardinelli, Reel Views: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Fans of lurid period pieces will find things to appreciate here, but mainstream viewers, even those who enjoy psychological thrillers, will be less impressed."(See all of James Berardinelli's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 985 words, 06/29/10
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone: VERY GOOD(cg) "...dazzling, depraved film noir. If you can't take the heat, stay out of Winterbottom's scalding kitchen. Affleck gives a mesmeric, implosively powerful performance..."(See all of Peter Travers's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 301 words, 06/11/10
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...presents us with a character who remains a vast empty lonely cold space. The film finds resolution there somewhere, perhaps, but not on a frequency I can receive."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 803 words, 06/24/10
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NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (8 Reviews)
A.O. Scott, New York Times: WEAK "...nasty and uneven... the narrative here, which should be intriguingly complicated, is just plain messy. Characters show up and start talking..."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,110 words, 06/18/10
Joe Neumaier, New York Daily News: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Like the actor's whiny voice and fish-eyed stare, Casey Affleck's smile sums up, for better or worse, this frighteningly amoral thriller.... smooth and silkily empty..."(See all of Joe Neumaier's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 323 words, 06/18/10
Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune: MODERATE(cg) "Michael Winterbottom's film lacks some essential element, an insidious momentum along with a sure sense of narrative. No complaints with Affleck: He holds the screen."(See all of Michael Phillips's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 494 words, 06/25/10
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...presents us with a character who remains a vast empty lonely cold space. The film finds resolution there somewhere, perhaps, but not on a frequency I can receive."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 803 words, 06/24/10
J. Hoberman, Village Voice/LA Weekly: FAIR "The characters are stiffly drawn, the action is fastidiously staged, the production design is self-consciously retro... No shortage of cheap thrills, though..."(See all of J. Hoberman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 695 words, 06/16/10
KEY CITIES (12 Reviews)
Ann Hornaday, Washington Post: POOR(cg) "...there's so little substance and meaning to 'The Killer Inside Me,' adapted from Jim Thompson's novel by Michael Winterbottom, that it's barely worth condemning."(See all of Ann Hornaday's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 355 words, 07/02/10
Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer: OUTSTANDING(cg) "We're tagging along with a sociopath as he explains himself, reveals himself, works things out inside his head.... In every respect, this is great filmmaking."(See all of Steven Rea's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 616 words, 07/02/10
Amy Biancolli, Houston Chronicle/San Francisco Chronicle: WEAK(cg) "What a crock.... It looks spiffy. It has an attractive cast. Marcel Zyskind's cinematography seethes and shines. But a gorgeous crock is still a crock."(See all of Amy Biancolli's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 559 words, 07/16/10
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star-Tribune: VERY GOOD(cg) "Winterbottom made the correct decision here, presenting Thompson's vision with uncompromising honesty instead of soft-pedaling it."(See all of Colin Covert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 621 words, 07/02/10
Stephen Whitty, Cleveland Plain-Dealer: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...difficult to watch.... the movie's a lot like its protagonist. It's full of smooth, dangerously attractive surfaces. But what's underneath doesn't quite work."(See all of Stephen Whitty's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 490 words, 07/30/10
John Hartl, Seattle Times: VERY GOOD(cg) "Although there have been better adaptations of Thompson's novels, this version will most likely be remembered, above all, for Affleck's scary work."(See all of John Hartl's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 460 words, 07/02/10
Shawn Levy, Portland Oregonian: VERY GOOD(cg) "It gives you the chills, flat out.... Affleck is remarkable... it's too well made to dismiss outright for its twisted cruelty."(See all of Shawn Levy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 252 words, 07/23/10
Joe Williams, St. Louis Post-Dispatch: VERY GOOD(cg) "Winterbottom is so adroit, we have to assume he knows what he's doing, even when he crosses into dangerous territory."(See all of Joe Williams's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 371 words, 07/09/10
Tom Long, Detroit News: GOOD(cg) "...not so big on offering clear answers. Sick, shocking and essentially senseless, it shoves the whole mess in the viewer's face and asks -- Well?"(See all of Tom Long's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 319 words, 07/02/10
ALTERNATIVE/INDIE PRESS (6 Reviews)
J. Hoberman, Village Voice/LA Weekly: FAIR "The characters are stiffly drawn, the action is fastidiously staged, the production design is self-consciously retro... No shortage of cheap thrills, though..."(See all of J. Hoberman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 695 words, 06/16/10
Peter Keough, Boston Phoenix: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Winterbottom's version of Thompson's 1952 novel reduces its mirthful nihilism to lurid unpleasantness.... this killer has nothing inside him."(See all of Peter Keough's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 162 words, 07/01/10
Noel Murray, AV Club: GOOD(cg) "...captures the atmosphere of a dusty community where everyone knows everybody's history, and where money and power can only sway public opinion to a point."(See all of Noel Murray's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 352 words, 06/17/10
Curt Holman, Atlanta Creative Loafing: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...the performances and period texture perfectly capture the novel's mood, but the director's love of cinematic artifice blunts the source material's narrative force."(See all of Curt Holman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 652 words, 06/30/10
Tricia Olszewski, Washington City Paper: WEAK "...proceeds with one brutality after another, which makes it worse than vulgar -- it's just dull.... Affleck, at least, makes a fine psycho..."(See all of Tricia Olszewski's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 402 words, 07/01/10
HIGHBROW PRESS (2 Reviews)
A.O. Scott, New York Times: WEAK "...nasty and uneven... the narrative here, which should be intriguingly complicated, is just plain messy. Characters show up and start talking..."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,110 words, 06/18/10
Todd McCarthy, Daily Variety: FAIR "...comes up short in terms of tension, stylistic flair and density of detail, resulting in a film that should but doesn't get under your skin and give you the creeps."(See all of Todd McCarthy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,049 words, 01/26/10
John DeFore, Hollywood Reporter: WEAK "...an adaptation that looks good but can't find the right tone... Affleck is strange casting for the central role... doesn't generate the pulp author's rising pitch..."(See all of John DeFore's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 429 words, 01/25/10
Patrick Z. McGavin, Cinema 24/7: EXCELLENT(cg) "Winterbottom offers one of his most chilling and distinctive works with his impressive and difficult adaptation of novelist Jim Thompson's gravest and greatest work..."(See all of Patrick Z. McGavin's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,065 words, 02/01/10
A.O. Scott, New York Times: WEAK "...nasty and uneven... the narrative here, which should be intriguingly complicated, is just plain messy. Characters show up and start talking..."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,110 words, 06/18/10
20.9 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
The Killer Inside Me's reviews are separated by an average 20.9 percentage points. The norm for this measure is 18.4 percentage points. Less than 18.4 indicates more consistent reviews; greater than 18.4 indicates more mixed reviews. In the chart below, each dot represents a review, with the dots at the top more positive than the dots at the bottom. From left to right, the dots represent reviews in big, bigger and biggest publications. Roll over each dot for more detail.
The Killer Inside Me (32 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:The Killer Inside Me's reviews cover 46.1% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 17,011 words involume (average is 20,194 words). Length:The film's reviews average 532 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
The Killer Inside Me Coverage, Volume & Length (32 Reviews, reviews below)
Reviews Broke 21.4 Hours After Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
The Killer Inside Me's reviews on average broke 21.4 hours after opening. Norm for this measure is 1.2 hours before. The chart below shows reviews on opening day and the days before and after opening; the left side is earlier and the right side is later. The red bars extending above the horizontal mid-line represent more positive reviews, and the red bars extending below represent more negative reviews. The white space/red bar in the middle is The Killer Inside Me's opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
The Killer Inside Me (32 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
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