I don’t make much of a secret of my fanboy-ish love for noir novelist Jim Thompson. And unlike a lot of the novelists I love, I’m always excited to see a new Thompson adaptation in the works. His work has a quality that lends itself quite well to film. Even the failed adaptations of his work, and there are many, often turn out to be interesting in some fashion.
So I don’t even care that Jessica Alba is part of the new team adapting the seminal Thompson novel The Killer Inside Me. Because Casey Affleck is starring as Lou Ford, the Texas sheriff assumed to be a lazy, spineless nobody who is actually a cunning, sociopathic murderer. Ford kills a hooker and her wealthy john, then has to continue killing to bloster the frame he constructs for the crime(s). Alba plays a prostitute in the film, but she’s not likely to be the one that gets bumped off early, so don’t get your hopes up there.
In the wake of The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, Affleck is ideal casting. Lou Ford is quite similar to Robert Ford in many respects; now I have to dig out Savage Art, the Thompson biography, to see if there’s any mention of a relationship between the invented Lou and real Robert.
Michael Winterbottom is directing, which is…interesting. Off the top of my head, I feel like The Claim might be the closest film he’s made to this, at least in terms of tone. Oh, if only there was a logical reason to cast Peter Mullan in this film.
Because it’s Sunday, here’s some bonus content: the song ‘The Killer Inside Me’ by MC 900 Ft Jesus, with ludicrious lyrics inspired by Thompson’s book. Sort of. How long’s it been since you thought abut this guy?
7 comments
Winterbottom is a master of switching up tones and genres from film to film. This is why I love his work and look forward to this.
Russ, this is why you're the man. Taking a simple piece of news and making a genuinely enertaining read of it, as well as an informative one.
This sounds pretty great and there's nothing in your piece that I could possibly disagree with.
I think about "If I Only Had A Brain" every chance I get.
Sounds like a cool film. Do you remember if Brubaker has mentioned Thompson in the text pages of CRIMINAL before?
And once again, Russ proves that he should see more movies. Of Winterbottom's work, "The Claim" is probably the least of his films that "The Killer Inside Me" will resemble. In fact, either "Code 46" or "Jude" would be closer, particularly with the feelings of alienation, though "9 Songs" could jump right in there due to how off-the-mark Lisa's sex-obsession goes. But even more than that, there's "I Want You," which would be one to look at if you're hunting the antecedent towards Winterbottom's likely approach to the Thompson adaptation. I know that this is just an internet movie site and I let most of the Russ Fischer Gaffes go by, but when someone says, "Jonathan Demme is about to make serial killer film with a female protagonist – 'Philadelphia' being his closest film to this," you just have to laugh. Or hope that Russ, at some point, decides to educate himself and see a couple more movies before declaring himself an expert.
wasn't this already a movie with Stacy Keach or someone?
Meh. Winterbottom? Casey Afflect? I like Casey Afflect but he seems like a devious guy off the bat. I think this role needs somebody who comes off like a shitkicker nobody. Winterbottom…well, I hope for the best.
Yep, it was a movie with Stacy Keach as Lou Ford. Fun book. Movie, not so much.
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