Although Stacy Keach is quite good as the delusional sheriff of a small Montana mining town, it is Susan Tyrell as the local lady of the night, who is absolutely amazing in "The Killer Inside Me". The film opens weakly with some totally unnecessary narration, but gradually builds momentum. Don Stroud's performance, as the wild son of Mayoral candidate Keenan Wynn, is notable, and John Carradine also appears in a small role. There are a couple of minor surprises, along with some nice character development. If you are enamored with either Stacy Keach or Susan Tyrell, I say seek this one out, because you will not be disappointed. - MERK

Lou Ford is the Deputy Sheriff of a small mining town of Central City Texas. He's one friendly, well-respected man of the community, who doesn't believe carrying around a gun in a well-balanced town. Though there's another side to Lou that no one else knows about. He has a past-inflicted schizophrenic trait, which causes him to snap when pushed by a hooker Joyce Lakeland.After watching director Burt Kennedy's obscured potboiler "Wolf Lake" not too long ago, he surprised me again with this curiously hypnotic psycho-thriller. Adapted from the novel of Jim Thompson, this diluted psychological study focus on a fatigue mind cracking under the insanity of something that's just too troubling to conceal without simply leading to dangerous lash-outs. The way Kennedy leisurely paces the opening half of the film is there to build upon that genuine feel created between Keach's character and the townsfolk. That when the sudden change in character and appearance takes hold, it has manipulated us into like everyone else that his character couldn't do a thing like that. The well-devised plot (which has a noir touch and a quietly disturbing streak within it) keeps an unpredictable rhythm about it and that also could be put down to Stacy Keach's blindingly full-rounded performance as the shadily relaxed and soft spoken town Sheriff Lou Ford. He manages to demonstrate a moodily emotional attachment to this troubled soul that becomes horrifyingly more chilling as the film goes on. This goes for how things seem to fall into place with a little help in making sure they do so. The story falls more into the mould of a character builder, organising and analysing its true intentions and dark insight than an all-out thriller looking for a jolt every couple minutes. For a small budget, Kennedy's direction is reliably accomplished along with William Fraker's vigorously grounded cinematography. Cooked up was a misguidedly, piercing tuneful sounding music score by Tim McIntire and John Rubinstein. Stacy Keach was terrific, but the supporting cast were just as good. A vivid Susan Tyrell (who was with Keach in "Fat City (1972)") added a scorning touch to her hooker Joyce. Don Stroud is fitting as the Mayor's loutish son Elmer. Tisha Sterling is sweetly likable as Ford's lady Amy Stanton. Keenan Wynn and John Carradine (in an entertaining small role) are solid in their parts. An interestingly dark and well-written item with prominent performances (Keach and Tyrell), although its far from gob-smacking. Actually it has made me more interested in reading the book.

A real let down, the novel is such a brilliant stomach churning journey into madness but this made for TV movie style nonsense is turgid and painfully slow. Stick to Mike Hammer. I find it hard to believe that no body has made a brilliant version of this book, Kubrick gushes over it on the cover, he should have taken over the reins on this one. Stacey Keach is too soppy as Lou Ford, and the whole thing has the same production values as that seventies TV spin off, of Planet Of The Apes. I thoroughly recommend that you go out and buy lots of Jim Thompson novels though, actually The Grifters isn't done too badly, thats one of his, starring Jon Cusak.

The low budget and the talent of Burt Kennedy (working in a rare venture outside the western genre) add to the striking atmosphere of this largely unseen, barely released Jim Thompson adaptation. After the critically lauded Fat City, Stacy Keach had quite a few star turns in alternative fare during the 70s, of which this is among the best (though his decade-wrapper with The Ninth Configuration is awfully hard to beat.)Susan Tyrell rejoins him here after her acclaimed Fat City turn, with many terrific character actors throughout the cast. Technical work is top-drawer with the William Fraker photography as good as ever.One of the first budget DVD's released, (naturally unletterboxed) the Panavision cries out for a redo. Sadly, the small resurgence in Thompson adaptations in the early 90s ended rather quickly; still plenty of great material there for dedicated crime filmmakers.