The Killer Inside Me(2010)

Submitted by Jen

POOPER:
In 1950s Texas, Deputy Lou Ford (Casey Affleck) hides violent tendencies behind a polite facade. He murders lover Joyce Lakeland (Jessica Alba) and others, staging deaths as accidents. As investigator Joe Rothman (Simon Baker) closes in, Lou kills allies like brother Johnnie (Liam Aiken) and tycoon Chester Conway (Ned Beatty). Fiancée Amy (Kate Hudson) uncovers his crimes. Cornered, Lou confesses—“I like hurting people”—before dying in a shootout. The town mourns him, oblivious to his twisted double life.

LONG VERSION:
The movie begins in 1950s West Texas, where Deputy Sheriff Lou Ford (Casey Affleck) hides a chilling double life. Polite and soft-spoken, Lou charms the locals but conceals violent sadistic urges tied to childhood trauma. He starts a secret affair with Joyce Lakeland (Jessica Alba), a sex worker involved with construction magnate Chester Conway (Ned Beatty). During a rough sexual encounter, Lou beats Joyce, sparking a twisted bond. When Chester orders Lou to drive Joyce out of town, Lou instead manipulates her into a scheme to blackmail Chester. However, Lou double-crosses Joyce, brutally murdering her and her boyfriend, Elmer Conway (Jay R. Ferguson), staging their deaths as a murder-suicide.

Lou’s calm demeanor deflects suspicion initially. His fiancée, Amy Stanton (Kate Hudson), notices odd behavior but dismisses it. Meanwhile, Sheriff Bob Maples (Tom Bower) and state investigator Joe Rothman (Simon Baker) uncover inconsistencies in Lou’s story. Lou kills Howard Hendricks (Bill Pullman), a union lawyer threatening to expose corruption linked to Chester, framing it as a suicide. When Lou’s adoptive brother, Johnnie Pappas (Liam Aiken), discovers evidence tying him to the murders, Lou coldly strangles him and stages an overdose.

As bodies pile up, Lou’s mask slips. Amy finds bloodstained clothes and confronts him, but Lou gaslights her into silence. Joe Rothman zeroes in on Lou, interrogating him about Joyce’s death. Lou claims self-defense, but Rothman remains skeptical. Panicked, Lou murders Chester Conway and his associate Billy Boy Walker (Elias Koteas) to eliminate loose ends.

The town erupts in chaos. A mob forms, blaming union workers for the violence. Lou watches calmly, reveling in the chaos he’s orchestrated. However, Amy finally pieces together his crimes after finding Joyce’s letters. She confronts Lou, who admits everything with eerie detachment, claiming his violence is “just the way I am.”

In the climax, police surround Lou’s home. He shoots two deputies but is gravely wounded. Bleeding out, Lou confesses to Amy in haunting detail: “I hurt people. It’s not something I’m proud of… but I like it.” His final words—“It’s all right, Amy. It’s all right”—leave her trembling as he dies. The film ends with Amy visiting Lou’s grave, her face a mix of grief and unresolved rage. The town mourns Lou as a fallen hero, oblivious to the monster beneath.