The Killer Inside Me (1976 film)
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The Killer Inside Me | |
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Directed by | Burt Kennedy |
Produced by | Michael W. Leighton |
Written by | Jim Thompson (Novel) Edward Mann Robert Chamblee |
Starring | Stacy Keach Susan Tyrrell |
Music by | Tim McIntire John Rubinstein |
Cinematography | William A. Fraker |
Edited by | Danford B. Greene Aaron Stell |
Distributed by | Warner Bros. |
Release dates
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October 1976 |
Running time
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99 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
The Killer Inside Me is a 1976 American crime drama film directed by Burt Kennedy and based on Jim Thompson's novel of the same name.[1] In this adaption, the action was shifted from the west Texas oilfields to a Montana mining town, and several other changes made. It stars Stacy Keach and Susan Tyrrell.
A remake of The Killer Inside Me was released in 2010, starring Casey Affleck.
Plot
Usually a law officer is a figure of trust in a small community. Unfortunately for the residents of a small Montana town, Lou Ford is an exception. Behind his easygoing, likeable shell is an intensely violent core resulting from an abusive childhood. In a diner one day Lou sees his dead father and hears voices, the first hint that he may have mental problems. When Lou gets involved with a local prostitute's blackmail schemes, the carefully crafted facade he maintains begins to unravel into a vicious killing spree that leads to a thought-provoking and disturbing conclusion.
Cast
- Stacy Keach as Lou Ford
- Susan Tyrrell as Joyce Lakeland
- Tisha Sterling as Amy Stanton
- Keenan Wynn as Chester Conway
- Don Stroud as Elmer
- Charles McGraw as Howard Hendricks
- John Dehner as Bob Maples
- Pepe Serna as Johnny Lopez
- John Carradine as Dr. Jason Smith
- Royal Dano as Father
- Julie Adams as Mother
Critical reception
The New York Times said: "[The Killer Inside Me] is a mess, a movie that can't decide whether it wants to be a noirish mystery, a horror flick or a psychological thriller. "[2] The Cinema de Merde website says: "It seems to me that these characters, this setting, and this story would be extremely difficult to bring off the page, but this movie is cast and located so perfectly, it makes it even more of a shame that the screenplay butchered the content of the novel so badly."[3]