Killer's is based on an early-'50s pulp novel by Jim Thompson, and its perspective is that of Lou Ford (Casey Affleck), a West Texas deputy with a history of kinky babysitters and sexual abuse. From his voiceovers we know he's aware he's got problems; he overcompensates by cultivating himself as a gentle aw-shucks kind of small-town fella, until a prostitute, Joyce (Jessica Alba), rolls into town—they have a whip-happy, erotically asphyxiated kind of love, but a seemingly sincere one. Between her willingness to let him explore his conflicted relationship with women and a muddled revenge plot, it's not long until Ford's sinister side boils over. As a character study, it's a frustrating one: Ford is persistently likeable when he's not exploding, and unlike many depictions of his type, he doesn't seem to relish the murders. Yet despite the complexity Ford exhibits, and the magnetic performance by Affleck, this great-looking, wryly scored film is an oddly hollow experience. by Marjorie Skinner