Directed by:
William FriedkinCinematography:
Caleb DeschanelComposer:
Tyler BatesCast:
Matthew McConaughey, Emile Hirsch, Juno Temple, Gina Gershon, Thomas Haden Church, Danny Epper, Scott A. Martin, Gralen Bryant Banks, Marc Macaulay (more)VOD (3)
Plots(1)
When 22 year-old drug dealer Chris (Emile Hirsch) has his stash of drugs stolen from him by his mother, he has to come up with six-thousand dollars quick, or he's dead. Desperate, he goes to the trailer-park to see his father, Ansel (Thomas Haden Church), and he lays out the plan. Chris's mother, who everyone hates, has a life insurance policy that would clear up his debt and make them all rich. The problem is that Chris' mother is very much alive. Enter Detective "Killer" Joe Cooper, a hired hit man with the manners of a Southern gentleman, who will do the job - for an upfront fee, that Chris and Ansel can't pay. Just as Joe is about to leave, he spots Dottie (Juno Temple), Chris' innocent younger sister. Joe makes Chris an offer, he'll keep Dottie as sexual collateral until the money is collected and his fee can be paid. (LD Entertainment)
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Reviews (10)
The ace up William Friedkin’s sleeve is not the plot but the eccentricity of its characters and what it can lead to. That is, what
they’re capable of and how they deal with situations gone wrong in their redneck shortsightedness. An excellent
“chicken blowjob” scene. I didn’t hope for anything like this from Matthew McConaughey in the age of A Time to Kill and Amistad. This actor is rising to the stars! And it’s not just him, the entire cast is excellent here. A brutal movie with big balls and a
not exactly sound mind.
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A rough Texas ride where no one has anything to lose. Once Matthew McConaughey starts delivering his lines in full force, this strange family drama kicks into high gear, and it's a shame that the blood, dirt, and slightly bizarre atmosphere become too much towards the very end. With clearer direction, Killer Joe, thanks to its perfect cast, could have aimed for a higher level.
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Amazing acting, dialogue scenes like in a Tarantino film, and an incredibly precise redneck touch. Essentially, very good filmmaking, I just didn't quite understand why it all came about in the first place. In most films of a similar nature, there is more or less a hidden message that you have to read between the lines. I couldn't find it here. Very gratuitous, as if Friedkin was trying to prove that he still has the chops.
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Rednecks... Killer Joe has a very usual plot, but everything else about it is very unusual. McConaughey revels in his slimy villainy and he does great. The heated finale ranks among the best and also the most freaky that I’ve seen during past years. The cast is excellent and mainly William Friedkin shows the best in him.
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If Quentin Tarantino didn’t exist, Killer Joe would certainly be a concept. But this way, especially in comparison with his similarly tuned conversational films, its underdevelopment and superficiality become clear. Friedkin builds primarily on unreadable characters and their conflicts with each other, but the story has too few unexpected twists and only one memorable scene with cult potential. The biggest positives for me remain Matthew McConaughey, who is charismatic as shit, and I'd quickly turn away with my tail between my legs if I met him on the street, and the overall stylistic execution of form and content, which at times is quite close to Quentin's.
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