Drew's Thoughts:Michael Winterbottom's mostly botched adaptation of Jim Thompson's classic pulp novel was a disappointment. The technical aspects were on point but Winterbottom and screenwriter John Curran had difficulties capturing the feel of the novel which gets deep inside a twisted, criminal mind using extensive first person narration. As a fan of the novel, a number of key points were totally flubbed but I also feel I may have enjoyed the film more than the average viewer since I could fill in the gaps.
That said though, casting Casey Affleck as Lou Ford (no relation to Bob Ford) is absolutely perfect. He gives a very good performance as the sinister sheriff but, I can't help but think his performance could have been the best of the year (instead of just one of them) if he was working with a higher caliber filmmaker. Along with Best Actor, the film deserves consideration in the sound and makeup categories for some brutal, unflinching scenes.
