Is there anything Winterbottom cant do? With a decent claim to be the UKs most versatile director, here he turns his sights towards Jim Thompsons unfilmable pulp noir and, for the most part, carries it off with aplomb. Its not without its flaws – you can cast Jessica Alba against type but you cannot make her act – but with Casey Afflecks intense central performance, its easy to overlook the weaknesses.

The tale, as the name suggests, is a look at the psychology of a murderer. Given the source material – a 1950s novel – you might expect a lot of cod psychology and obvious signals. Youd be right: the reason behind small town cop Lous descent into psychotic madness is a little clunky. However, Afflecks so watchable as Lou that the simplistic answers – its always the bloody mother, isnt it? – dont particularly detract.

It certainly contrasts neatly with the look of the film – soft, sunny, smalltown Americana – the period detail and Afflecks lazy drawl of a narration, which narrates the film and his descent into madness as an encounter with a prostitute Joyce (Alba) opens doors long closed in Lous mind. Their couplings are violent and intense, a mix of pleasure and pain, and long buried memories of an abusive mother start to surface.

Being a noir (of sorts), clearly there are double crossing subplots, which lead to the films most uncomfortable moment, Lous slow, brutal, painstaking beating-to-death of Joyce. Its typical WInterbottom, pushing that envelope way beyond the audiences comfort zone, and showing in clear , unflinching style the effect of fists on face. While Albas performance as a whole is not great, you cant help but admire her bravery in signing on for this scene.

The same kudos must also go to Kate Hudson as Lous long standing girlfriend. Its good to see Hudson back in a film that matches her talent, and she seizes the opportunity in a performance thats understated, nuanced, and painfully honest.

The rest of the film is a mixed bag and the pacing is a little slow, but perhaps thats just to contrast more with the powerhouse, unforgettable, abhorrent moments. You may ultimately forget the plot, but you wont forget Affleck, Hudson or those two beatings and thats more than you can say for a lot of films.

Stars: Casey Affleck, Jessica Alba, Kate Hudson, Liam Aiken, Simon Baker, Elias Koteas, Bill Pullman, Ned Beatty, Tom Bower, Brent Briscoe
Written by John Curran & Michael Winterbottom
Certification UK 18
Runtime 109 minutes
Directed by Michael Winterbottom