The Sundance website keeps on giving, this time with the first look at Michael Winterbottom’s “The Killer Inside Me” starring Casey Affleck, Kate Hudson and Jessica Alba.
The following synopsis raves on about Affleck’s performance which doesn’t surprise us, his a supreme talent. The page also informs us that film comes in at 148 minutes which is just shy of two and a half hours.
Based on the novel by legendary pulp writer Jim Thompson, “The Killer Inside Me” tells the story of handsome, charming, unassuming small-town deputy sheriff Lou Ford, who has a bunch of problems. Women problems. Law-enforcement problems. And an ever-growing pile of murder victims in his west Texas jurisdiction. All the while Lou manages to remain his stoic self. However, as evidence is discovered over the course of the investigation, suspicion begins to fall on Lou. But in this savage and bleak universe, nothing is ever what it seems.
In this film, Michael Winterbottom continues to show his immense prowess as a director. Pushing noir to its darkest extreme, he has fashioned a star vehicle for Casey Affleck, who delivers a powerful performance that evokes shades of Robert Mitchum. This violent, stylish psychosexual thriller is imbued with all the amoral energy of its genre and is sure to shock some and dazzle all.
A six-minute long promo video for the film — presumably for the American Film Market which was co-currently running at the time — found its way on the internet a few weeks ago but has since been taken down. Hopefully, a distributor was successfully found because it looked great and a film with talent like Affleck, Winterbottom and Thompson behind it deserves to be released. Also starring in the film are Simon Baker, Ned Beatty and Bill Pullman.
Next up is Sundance’s preview of Spencer Susser’s “Hesher” starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Natalie Portman, Rainn Wilson and the film’s protagonist Devin Brochu who is seen in this first official still.
The following synopsis paints a very different picture to what we expected from such a cast and the happy-go-lucky set pictures and loglines previously seen. Instead, “Hesher” sounds like a pretty twisted story with dark comic elements:
“Hesher” is the story of a family struggling to deal with loss and the anarchist who helps them do it — in a very unexpected way.
TJ is 13 years old. Two months ago, his mom was killed in an accident, leaving TJ and his grieving dad to move in with grandma to pick up the pieces. Hesher is a loner. He hates the world — and everyone in it. He has long, greasy hair and homemade tattoos. He likes fire and blowing things up. He lives in his van — until he meets TJ.
“Hesher” is that rare film that manages to be a completely original vision, a thoroughly entertaining story, and a provocative metaphor. Joseph Gordon-Levitt brings the character of Hesher to life with anger and angst, and Devin Brochu makes quite a splash as the young boy dealing with both the loss of his mother and an unwanted houseguest. Cowriter/director Spencer Susser crafts a multidimensional, darkly humorous film that exhibits an immensely talented storyteller at work.
It was previously revealed that Wilson will play the pill-popping father of Brochu’s protagonist while Portman will play a girl who saves Brochu from the hesher. If this cast doesn’t get you excited, we seriously don’t know what will. The film’s Sundance page also reveals that John Carrol Lynch features in the film that will run 100 minutes.
“Hesher” premieres on January 22nd while “The Killer Inside Me” will play on the 24th.
