“Knowing that kind of jealousy, I could now see in suspects what I saw in myself… Digging into other people’s pain, I could somehow put a bandage on my own.” – Nick Bali in ‘Killer Heat’
Based on Jo Nesbø’s short story The Jealousy Man and directed by Philippe Lacôte, this murder-mystery centers around twin brothers Leonidis and Elias Vardakis (Richard Madden), their love triangle with Penelope (Shailene Woodley), and troubled private investigator Nick Bali (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) there to investigate the death of Leo Vardakis.
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Despite being from very different worlds- Penelope being married into the wealthiest, most powerful family on the island of Crete, and Nick, taking on a case to essentially hide from his life in New York- both characters are complex in their own right, showing parallels in their struggles.
Set against the Mediterranean backdrop and shot over the course of two months, the film skillfully combines noir style with a modern narrative, blending moody lighting with bright seascapes, sharp shadows, and tense camera angles.
Credit: Patrick Redmond/Prime Copyright: ©Amazon Content Services LLC
Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s portrayal of a damaged yet sympathetic detective, Shailene Woodley’s captivatingly enigmatic performance, and Richard Madden’s impressive dual role of twins Leo and Elias all contribute to a captivating, layered narrative.
The Knockturnal: Joseph, your character constantly seems torn between this vulnerability and cold detachment, particularly in moments when members of the Vardakis family turn his own questions back on him… What was your method for conveying that internal conflict in those intense face-offs?
Joseph Gordon-Levitt: My favorite detective movies are the ones where, sure, there’s a case to be solved, but there’s also something going on with the detective that also maybe needs to be solved. Ultimately, I think that’s why murder-mysteries are fun to watch because ourselves, our own lives, and who we are is a mystery we’re all trying to solve all of the time.
The Knockturnal: I noticed something similar with you, Shailene. I saw that Penelope’s intentions are mysterious throughout the film. She seems both hesitant and decisive in moments of tension. How did you balance the ambiguity of her motives without giving too much away, especially in her scenes with Nick Bali?
Shailene Woodley: That’s kind of the fun play of it all- you want to give a little bit so that you do sense something is happening, but you don’t want to give too much to then give it away and be obvious… honestly it’s a lucky thing when you have the dialogue, it’s well written, you know where you’re going to go and where you’re coming from, AND you get to work with an incredible actor. That energy exchange really dictates a lot of those nuanced moments, so for me, I felt like it was just being present to all of those and letting whatever needed to happen in each scene sort of unfold naturally, in an honest way.
The Knockturnal: For both of you, having worked on screen together before, how different did this film feel for you two years later- especially knowing that you both played a large part in the character development through the script-writing process of the film?
Joseph Gordon-Levitt: The movie we did before, which was called Snowden, was a dramatization of a really momentous, historical event. So there was a lot of weight, and we had to take it very seriously. Whereas, this one was mostly just fun. It’s a fictitious murder-mystery on a beautiful, sunny Greek island, and we were just having a great summer enjoying ourselves. So they’re two pretty different experiences.
The Knockturnal: The island of Crete was obviously stunning, but that vintage Brown Benz… you were very lucky to drive that.
Shailene Woodley: It felt lucky, it was a sexy car.
Killer Heat premieres September 26 on Prime Video. Check out the official trailer.
