The Killer Inside Me (1976 film)
Encyclopedia
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
. 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
.
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."
Crime film
Crime films are films which focus on the lives of criminals. The stylistic approach to a crime film varies from realistic portrayals of real-life criminal figures, to the far-fetched evil doings of imaginary arch-villains. Criminal acts are almost always glorified in these movies.- Plays and films...
drama film
Drama film
A drama film is a film genre that depends mostly on in-depth development of realistic characters dealing with emotional themes. Dramatic themes such as alcoholism, drug addiction, infidelity, moral dilemmas, racial prejudice, religious intolerance, poverty, class divisions, violence against women...
directed by Burt Kennedy
Burt Kennedy
Burt Kennedy was an American screenwriter and director known for mainly directing film Westerns.After World War II service in the 1st Cavalry Division, Muskegon, Michigan-born Kennedy found work writing for radio, then used his training as a cavalry officer to secure a job as a fencing trainer and...
and based on Jim Thompson
Jim Thompson (writer)
James Myers Thompson was an American author and screenwriter, known for his pulp crime fiction....
's novel of the same name
The Killer Inside Me
The Killer Inside Me is a 1952 novel by American writer Jim Thompson published by Fawcett Publications. In the introduction to the anthology Crime Novels: American Noir of the 1950s, it is described as "one of the most blistering and uncompromising crime novels ever written."- Plot summary :The...
. In this adaption, the action was shifted from the west Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
oilfields to a Montana
Montana
Montana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...
mining town, and several other changes made. It stars Stacy Keach
Stacy Keach
Stacy Keach is an American actor and narrator. He is most famous for his dramatic roles; however, he has done narration work in educational programming on PBS and the Discovery Channel, as well as some comedy and musical...
and Susan Tyrrell
Susan Tyrrell
Susan Tyrrell is an American actress of Irish descent, known for her role as Ramona Rickettes in the film Cry-Baby.-Background:...
.
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.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. "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."
Cast
- Stacy KeachStacy KeachStacy Keach is an American actor and narrator. He is most famous for his dramatic roles; however, he has done narration work in educational programming on PBS and the Discovery Channel, as well as some comedy and musical...
as Lou Ford - Susan TyrrellSusan TyrrellSusan Tyrrell is an American actress of Irish descent, known for her role as Ramona Rickettes in the film Cry-Baby.-Background:...
as Joyce Lakeland - Tisha SterlingTisha SterlingTisha Sterling is an American television and film actress. She is the daughter of actor Robert Sterling and actress/singer Ann Sothern.-Life and career:...
as Amy Stanton - Keenan WynnKeenan WynnKeenan Wynn was an American character actor. His bristling mustache and expressive face were his stock in trade, and though he rarely had a lead role, he got prominent billing in most of his film and TV parts....
as Chester Conway - Don StroudDon StroudDonald Lee Stroud is an American actor and surfer who appeared in many films in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, and has starred in over 100 films and 175 television shows to date.-Early life:...
as Elmer