A West Texas Deputy Sheriff is slowly unmasked as a psychotic killer.A West Texas Deputy Sheriff is slowly unmasked as a psychotic killer.A West Texas Deputy Sheriff is slowly unmasked as a psychotic killer.
IMDb RATING
6.1/10
34K
YOUR RATING
- Director
- Writers
- John Curran
- Jim Thompson(novel)
- Stars
Top credits
- Director
- Writers
- John Curran
- Jim Thompson(novel)
- Stars
- Awards
- 2 wins & 5 nominations
Videos1
Zach Josse
- Lou - 13as Lou - 13
- (as Zachary Josse)
- Director
- Writers
- John Curran
- Jim Thompson(novel)
- All cast & crew
- See more cast details at IMDbPro
Storyline
Sadism and masochism beneath a veneer of revenge. Lou Ford is a mild-mannered sheriff's deputy in a Texas oil town in the mid 1950's. His boss sends him to roust a prostitute living in a rural house. She slaps him; he hits her, then, after daily sex for the next few weeks, he decides it's love. She's devoted to him and becomes his pawn in a revenge plot she thinks is to shakedown the son of Chester Conway, the town's wealthy king of construction. Lou has a different plan, and bodies pile up as murder leads to murder. The district attorney suspects Lou, and Conway may have an inkling, but Lou stays cool. Is love, or at least peace, in the cards? —<jhailey@hotmail.com>
- Genres
- Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)
- Rated R for disturbing brutal violence, aberrant sexual content and some graphic nudity
- Parents guide
Did you know
- TriviaThe piece of music that Lou (Casey Affleck) plays on his piano is the 25th variation of J.S. Bach's Goldberg Variations. It was regarded by musicians, such as Glenn Gould and Wanda Landowska, as one of the most significant pieces of music ever written, even within the context of the entire set of variations, which is generally held to be one of Bach's greatest masterpieces. Gould's 1955 recording of this variation was included in the soundtrack to Slaughterhouse-Five (1972), during scenes portraying the firestorm that destroyed Dresden.
- GoofsWhen Lou finds Joyce's handgun she says she "has a permit" for it. Texas has never required permits to own a gun, and until 1995 did not require permits to carry a concealed handgun.
- SoundtracksFever
Written by Eddie Cooley (as Eddie J. Cooley) and Otis Blackwell (as John Davenport)
Performed by Little Willie John
Courtesy of Gusto-King Records and Fort Knox Music Inc. c/o Carlin America Inc. and Trio Music Company c/o Bug Music
Top review
compelling portrait of a sociopath in an engrossing thriller
Casey Affleck (Ben Affleck's younger brother) delivers a stunning performance as a psychopathic deputy sheriff; when his charming and well mannered guy appearance disappears the audience's shown violence both "ordinary" and of sexual kind. There's absolutely nothing voyeuristic in these scenes, difficult to see though they might be, on the contrary they're the moments where the movie really gets to make an impact on the viewers. The narrative's very gripping and Winterbottom's story manages to strongly connect on an emotional level. All the characters appear to have a "proximity" to the audience. On the whole the film always makes a strong impact and keeps the noir atmosphere required, furthermore its ability to shock is the key for being truthful and compelling.
helpful•327
- antoniotierno
- Dec 7, 2010
Details
- Release date
- Countries of origin
- Official sites
- Language
- Also known as
- El diablo bajo la piel
- Filming locations
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $13,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $217,277
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $11,083
- Jun 20, 2010
- Gross worldwide
- $4,052,191
- Runtime1 hour 49 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 2.35 : 1
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