Killer Joe (2011)

When a debt puts a young man's life in danger, he turns to putting a hit out on his evil mother in order to collect the insurance.

Director:

William Friedkin

Writers:

Tracy Letts (screenplay), Tracy Letts (play)

Stars:

Matthew McConaughey, Emile Hirsch, Juno Temple

7 wins & 18 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Matthew McConaughey	...	Killer Joe Cooper
Emile Hirsch	...	Chris Smith
Juno Temple	...	Dottie Smith
Thomas Haden Church	...	Ansel Smith
Gina Gershon	...	Sharla Smith
Marc Macaulay	...	Digger Soames
Gralen Bryant Banks	...	Pizza Patron (as Graylen Banks)
Carol Sutton	...	Saleslady
Danny Epper	...	G-Man
Jeff Galpin	...	Biker Thug
Scott A. Martin	...	Pizza Manager (as Scott Martin)
Gregory C. Bachaud	...	Filpatrick
Charley Vance	...	Preacher

Storyline

Finding himself in considerable debt, Chris a Texan drug dealer, decides the only solution is to murder his mother to collect the insurance money. Getting together with his father, the ex-husband of Chris' mother, they decide to hire Joe Cooper a contract killer, who also happens to be a police detective. The plan is that the money will go to Chris' sister Dottie. However due to the size of the contract fee, Chris agrees that Joe can take Dottie as a retainer until the insurance comes through.

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Plot Keywords:

debt | drug dealer | murder | police detective | playing against type | 

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Taglines:

Never trust a corrupt detective

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Genres:

Crime | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong and disturbing violence, sexuality, graphic nudity, drug use and language

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

29 June 2012 (UK)

Also Known As:

Gyilkos Joe

Filming Locations:

Louisiana, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$11,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$37,864 (USA) (27 July 2012)

Gross:

$220,282 (USA) (3 August 2012)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Voltage Pictures, Picture Perfect (I), Worldview Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

102 min (original) 98 min (cut)

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film was released theatrically with an NC-17 rating by the MPAA for "graphic aberrant content involving violence and sexuality, and a scene of brutality" but was edited down to an R rating for the home video release so that the DVD and Blu-ray could be sold in certain stores. The reason for the R rating given by the MPAA was for "strong and disturbing violence, sexuality, graphic nudity, drug use and language".

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Goofs

When Sharla is leafing through the photos, she's is using both hands in the close-up and the photos are loose. In the next view she is holding the packet of photos in one hand and the phone with the other.

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Quotes

[Sharla is spraying herself with perfume]
Ansel Smith: When you're done fumigating the gates of hell...

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Crazy Credits

The unrated DVD retains the MPAA's NC-17 graphic at the end, although the rating was surrendered.

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Connections

Featured in The Big Review: Summer Trailer Park Series (2012)

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Soundtracks

Strokin'
Written and performed by Clarence Carter

User Reviews

Compensate for the knee jerk

Sometimes a performance in itself can boost a movies value and vault it into something spectacular, McConaughey provides the turbo to this otherwise solid but not groundbreaking vehicle of karmic retribution as Killer Joe. The movie itself has been said to be akin to Friedkin aping a Cohen crime caper and that description works. We have a crime masterminded by selfish, unintelligent and or quirky characters, we have the mid-west as our backdrop, and we have the metaphysical shadow of karma hovering over their every move throughout the film. Call it Cohen Brothers on whiskey. The characters themselves are all very stereotyped but I think Friedkin left that transparent enough. In other words, the stereotype was part of the wardrobe itself. The reason being is this is not about these characters in particular...this is about choices and consequences and Killer Joe is simply a vehicle of karmic arithmetic. All that aside, on any day, or in any movie, McConaughey's performance as Killer Joe is mesmerizing. He is the serpent...cold and dangerous but charming and in control, constantly. He weaves his restrained psychotic energy through the movie as if he was born to play this role. For as silly as this movie can be, this is a brutally adult movie. It is graphic and there is a barrel of bush in it. There is also an almost misogynistic undertone that I don't wish to defend one way or the other, but I will say that for the scenes to not play out as they did would be an injustice to the character that McConaughey plays. The cast all around is very solid. Thomas Haden Church is pretty terrific, Gershon is on point and I've never been happier to see her answer a door. Juno Temple is a lolita-ish young vixen who seems to be almost in a different plane of existence throughout the movie. This is a movie that will stick with you after it's over, the mark of a truly good movie. There's mechanics below the surface that have to be thought about and you have to discipline yourself for the eventual knee jerking that is bound to happen. Adults only. Would go well sandwiched between Blood Simple and No Country for Old Men.