Killer Joe Reviews

Since I kept hearing some pretty good things about this flick, I was quite eager to check it out. Eventually, even if not everything did work and even if it was nothing really original, it turned out to be such a disturbing movie, I don’t think I will soon forget it. Basically, this movie had 2 things that worked really well. First, they gave us  this very ominous atmosphere, especially during the opening scene which was quite spellbinding. Then, of course, you had Matthew McConaughey who was just starting to make one of the greatest come-back ever in motion picture history. I mean, sure, the guy gave a decent performance in ‘The Lincoln Lawyer’ which was the official start of the  ‘McConaissance’ but he was just so much more impressive in this movie, he gave here the darkest but also easily one of the best performances of his career. Only a few years before , this actor was famous for playing some boring pretty boys  and, somehow, he actually kept the same formula here but gave this formula an extra dark edge which was quite fascinating.  Concerning the other characters, even though they were all some major losers and even though it was obvious from the start that their plan would be a major failure, they were still interesting.  Still, I had some hard time to swallow everything Chris did. The biggest problem I had with him was not really that he was a major f*ckup but the fact that he became seriously annoying as he kept hanging on his sister for no good reason. Anyway, to conclude, in spite of  its limitations, there was something quite fascinating about this really dark and disturbing thriller and I think it is definitely worth a look. 

Set in the American South, troubled lowlife Chris (Emile Hirsch) owes several thousand dollars to the local loan shark. He turns to his father Ansel (Thomas Haden Church) for help, taking up residence in his trailer with Ansel's second wife Sharla (Gina Gershon) and daughter Dottie (Juno Temple). Chris' mother has a hefty life insurance policy which would be paid to Dottie in the event of her death, hence Chris and Ansel decide to enlist the services of Joe Cooper (McConaughey), a Dallas police detective who moonlights as a contract killer. Although Joe demands the money upfront, he agrees to the job if he's given Dottie as a retainer. While Chris is hugely reluctant, Joe and Dottie commence a sexual relationship. However, not everything is as it seems, and Chris' idiocy begins getting in the way, leading to friction between Joe and his employers.

Bug was likewise based on one of Letts' stage plays, but Friedkin and Letts retained the single setting for that tale of body horror and paranoia. For Killer Joe, however, the collaborators have opened up the play a fair amount, spanning various locations rather than remaining within Ansel's trailer. It does not feel falsely or arbitrarily expanded, though, which is a huge credit to the creative team behind the picture. Fortunately, Letts' script is strong for the most part, full of sharp dialogue and well-realised characters. The film eventually accepts its stage play origins with an extended final scene running over twenty-five minutes that's confined to Ansel's trailer. It's a small-scale finale, but the scene is legendary, cranking tension levels up to eleven and serving up shocks at an alarming rate. The only flaws with Killer Joe are inherent in the script, which incorporates some of the play's weaker moments. One gets the sense that Friedkin and Letts revel in the shocking nature of this stuff too much, leading to an unorthodox use of a chicken leg that's more uncomfortable and degrading than effective. Yes, it's meant to be degrading but it seems like overkill.

Despite being his first big-screen outing in years, Friedkin remains an exceptional filmmaker here, his competency with staging and pacing shining through in every frame. What's surprising about the film is that, although it's often vile and repulsive, it's compulsively watchable and enthralling, which is a credit to Friedkin's skills as a cinematic craftsman. It's not that he waters down the content to make it more accessible; it's just hard to look away due to the tension, plot twists and dialogue. Killer Joe is a stylish picture to boot, with gorgeous cinematography by Caleb Deschanel perfectly capturing this Southern Noir tale. The MPAA slapped the film with an NC-17 rating, a move that Friedkin expected and embraced, though the distributors also cut together an R-rated edit. Beware, Killer Joe contains full-frontal nudity, shocking violence, disturbing themes, and plenty of bad words... It's genuinely fantastic to see Friedkin pushing buttons again.

Friedkin is a director who knows how to coax the best out of his actors, hence Killer Joe is full of top-flight performances, with all the actors at the top of their game. McConaughey too often plays pretty-boy romantic leads, which he's now more or less reviled for. It's refreshing, then, to see the actor sinking his teeth into the ferociously creepy yet funny titular character. Demonstrating acting talent we've forgotten he has, McConaughey is mesmerising here, his calm demeanour and terrific grooming a delightful contrast to the dirty trailer trash he deals with. Drenched in Texas swagger, Joe is a man you would not want to cross, yet he's strangely charismatic and respectful. It's a bravura turn for McConaughey that's brilliantly controlled and creepy. Hirsch is fairly good here, too, but it's Juno Temple who stands out as Dottie. She's such a bizarre and complex character; she's either simple-minded or extremely intelligent. Church also fares well here, while Gershon is astonishingly good as Ansel's new bride.

Even though Friedkin is getting older, he is still drawn to edgy, controversial material, and Killer Joe is a fascinating effort by the veteran filmmaker. It's not a universally appealing motion picture, however; it's nihilistic, crude, intense, shocking and violent, but it's also darkly funny and competently produced. As long as you can stomach this type of material, Killer Joe is well worth checking out.

8.1/10