Remember that vid of Jessica Alba getting spanked? Course you do. Who doesn't? Well, this is the film and if Alba's comments about actors ignoring the script pissed you off, you'll be happy to hear not only does she get a good whoopin', she gets her face smashed in too.

So who's dishing out the punishment? Casey Affleck as small town sheriff's deputy Lou Ford. Alba plays a prostitute named Joyce. Lou is sent out to her place to effectively kick her out of town. When she shows resistance, Lou responds by, you guessed it, ripping off her shorts and beating her ass with a belt... only to find out that she's his perfect match; a masochist who's effectively unearthed Lou's deeply repressed sadistic tendencies. What follows involves a botched blackmail plot and a handful of dead bodies.

As you can see from my description, the scene that got posted in the other thread is basically the most important scene in the film... fancy that! With that in mind, I was pretty pissed off that I'd already seen it. It comes seemingly out of nowhere and could've been a pretty powerful blindside. But I knew what was coming so...

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Anyway, I thought this was a pretty decent little film. Casey Affleck is actually pretty nasty as Lou. He's got that baby face but when he lets loose, it's frightening. And seeing him so collected afterward can be equally unnerving. And some of his deliveries... yeah. Creepy. Think his looks actually help in the sense that he's not one you'd expect to be a killer.

I think the other performances were pretty decent as well. Alba is Alba. What can I say? I think she suited the role, more or less, and if you don't care for her, no worries; she doesn't have that much screen time though she does play a pivotal role in the story. Kate Hudson was alright as Lou's girlfriend. Again, not a huge role. Ned Beatty's there too. Not bad. Think Bill Pullman was the only one who seemed not to fit, especially since they just crammed him in at the last ten minutes.

Affleck is in pretty much every scene in the film and narrates a fair deal so everyone else seems pretty marginalized in comparison, regardless of how big their roles are.

But what's got everyone talking about this film is the violence. Well, I honestly didn't think it was all that graphic or gratuitous. A lot of it actually occurs offscreen and there's not all that much blood. But it is very savage and very real. More so than anything that's come out this year. I think it's made even more disturbing by the use of the upbeat bluegrass soundtrack used in some of the scenes.

I did like the soundtrack by the way. One part bluegrass, one part opera. The juxtaposition was quite nice.

But back to the violence...

I didn't think any of it was unjustified. A lot of people complained that there was too much violence against women but I think it only seemed that way because the actual violence in total is actually pretty minimal. Honestly, I think people are bothered by the fact that the violence feels real. But this isn't a film about cheap thrills nor is it one to wrap violence up in a safe little package. I don't see why it has to be either.

That said, I did think this was a somewhat shallow film. Lou's relationship with Joyce brings up some interesting themes but other than that, it's a film about a killer. You see where he comes from and thankfully they don't blow it up into some big psychoanalysis. But there was really nothing to it all and the overall plot really wasn't all that interesting. The film's a character study, definitely. Plot takes a backseat, for sure. But what interesting themes that were brought up, I felt weren't explored far enough.

I might have to watch it again though.

In any case, I thought it was a good film. Certainly one of the better ones this year.

Another solid review, James, I liked the film too when I saw it at the cinema although it felt a little uneven at times. Nonetheless, it was an interesting addition to Winterbottom's eclectic CV.

I think we touched on this discussion before over on the infamous "spanking" thread and even though I wasn't too excited about Kate Hudson & Alba on the cast list either, I thought they both done good work, in particular, the much maligned Alba. Casey Affleck is turning out to be a formidable, unnerving screen presence, another great performance from him.

Check out the book too if you get the chance, a very enjoyable and quick read. Good for screenwriter’s too as Thompson writes some superb dialogue, in my opinion.

I thought the beating on Alba looked fake in a humorous way.

The ending is kinda overkill but otherwise it was a solid flick.

Pretty much agree with the views here. Good film, not great.

Quoted Text in particular, the much maligned Alba.

Generally those type of silly comments come from little fanboys who have no idea about acting, and will never work in the industry. Alba's a good performer and it's not just her looks that bring in the roles.

Andrew,

What up my friend?

I keep missing you here. Merry Christmas my friend...

Shawn.....><

Hey Shawn,

I am good. Been very busy here in Australia but should be heading home soon.

Merry Christmas, mate.

I'll bet you miss home . Huh?

Have a great holiday and a safe trip home brother.

Good to see you visiting the board again. It ain't the same here without you.

Shawn.....><