Kermode Uncut: The Movies Inside Jim Thompson

www.bbc.co.uk//markkermode.

A few brutal moments in Michael Winterbottom's movie adaptation of Jim Thompson's searing portrait of a sociopath, The Killer Inside Me, has kindled the inevitable debate about violence on film. I know where I stand.

Category:

Film & Animation

Tags:

• After Dark My Sweet
• bbc
• BBFC
• blog
• Bruce Dern
• Casey Affleck
• film
• film critic
• Gaspar Noe
• Irreversible
• Jason Patric
• kermode
• mark
• mark kermode
• One Hand Loose
• Simon Mayo

[weejockpoopongmcplop]

I agree and would add that your point should really apply to violence in general. A proper portrayal would be disturbing because in real life it is disturbing.

[Jcolinsol]

Personally, I think that violence against women, and really any content intended to be repugnant, should be shot as objectively as possible. If you are going to put challenging content into a film, then you need to respect the viewer, and not condescend to them by manipulating their emotions.

Generally, when I encounter intentionally shocking stuff in films, take the extended torture scenes in Takashi miike's "Imprint" I just end up rolling my eyes and detaching from the film.

[alexshala]

If you're making a film that's about a misogynist (in this case Casey Affleck's murderer character) then it makes sense that more violence towards women would be shown. I don't think the protracted shots on the violence sensationalize it any way, it's a misogynist character rather than a misogynist film.

[MrVinushka]

I still think Once Upon A Time In America has the most disturbing rape scene - not because it's particularly graphic or anything, but it's so well acted and you actually know and feel for the characters a great deal by the point it happens. In fact, the place in the story where it happens is possibly the most upsetting part about it.

With Irréversible, it was brutal and shocking, but after the first 4 minutes or so, it loses its punch. Plus, you're not really invested in the character yet.

[terratrema]

@errrrwhatthe

Yeah, he's awesome. And The Getaway (the novel) is so much better than those rotten movies based upon it.

I love how it turns from a fun, exciting, amoral thriller to a surreal, creepy horror story in it's final chapter.

[errrrwhatthe]

Pop 1280, The Grifters and The Killer Inside me ae my favourite Jim Thompson books. Having said that I haven't read a bad Thompson book, they're all good in their individual way.

[DAandFrank]

Kermode is bang on here. Scenes like the two in The Killer Inside Me will inevitably be initially criticised for stylising or even eroticising/sexualising violence against women, irrespective of how they're shot, the details of what they contain, or even the reaction the director is intending/hoping to get from the audience. In the case of those two scenes, however, it's clear that the purpose is absolutely to invoke horror and disgust.

[williamwilson666]

@amhemsley More likely that misandry isn't given the same attention- nor attributed the same significance misogyny is.

[mrbain123]

Why do they need to include such extensive, explicit scenes of sexual violence against women at all? In fact its often the stuff that you don't see directly which can be the most effective (e.g. the camera cuts away). During The Killer Inside Me I sometimes felt like i wanted to turn the film off. Call me old fashioned but I don't want to get that feeling when watching a film. Additionally to me the character was simply a sadist and was in no way likeable or alluring after a while.

[4gearkier]

The Getaway is the most famous Thompson adaptation, but my favourite Thompson novel hasn't been made into a film, I love SAVAGE NIGHT.

Has anyone seen the French Adaptation of Pop 1280?

[BRm2008]

this movies sounds awesome. his movies dont interest me. coz they are pretentious dross

[moderndaymerlin]

I completely agree with the notion that violence against women should be portrayed in media as morally repugnant. However, the main problem I had personally with the film was that the violence was heavily weighted against women, with the majority of violence against men being significantly less brutal in comparison