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

5 wins & 14 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.

---

Plot Keywords:

debt | police | police detective | murder | loss of mother | 

---

Taglines:

A totally twisted deep-fried Texas redneck trailer park murder story.

---

Genres:

Crime | Thriller

---

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 (Ireland)

Also Known As:

Killer Joe: A Twisted Redneck Trailer Park Murder Story

Filming Locations:

Louisiana, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$10,000,000 (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 102 min (original) 98 min (cut)

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In one scene Dottie asks if Joe is a detective like Magnum PI. Matthew McConaughey was in the running for playing Magnum PI in a big budget movie remake of the series in 2007, as of 2012 the project is dead in the water.

---

Goofs

During the train track scene with Chris and Dottie, his facial scars are missing.

---

Quotes

Killer Joe Cooper: I mean all she did was suck his cock and try and steal your money. It could have been worse.
Ansel Smith: How?
Killer Joe Cooper: Well... no, I suppose that's about as bad as it gets.

---

Connections

Featured in The 2013 Film Independent Spirit Awards (2013)

---

Soundtracks

"Swamp Fox"
Written by Rick Miller
Performed by Southern Culture on the Skids

User Reviews

Jet-black climax manages to cement a rather average film into the memory

Texan drug-dealer Chris (Emile Hirsch) lands himself in hot water, owing money to a gang of big-time criminals. After being refused money by his father Ansel (Thomas Haden Church), Chris comes up with a plot to have his mother murdered, collecting the life insurance money that he believes will pass to his sister Dottie (Juno Temple). To do the deed, they hire police detective and part-time contract killer 'Killer' Joe (Matthew McConaughey). Unable to pay his fees up front, Joe decides to take Dottie as collateral, who he asks to spend the night with, until the debt is paid.

Killer Joe's poster tagline reads 'A totally twisted, deep-fried, Texas redneck trailer park murder story', and really, that's precisely what it is. The central families sheer utter repulsiveness becomes the comedy vein that prevails throughout the plot, as we are greeted by Sharla (Gina Gershon), Ansel's second wife, opening her trailer door to reveal her hairy bush to a disgusted Chris. But Chris's loud-mouthed ineptness, Ansel's zombie-like idiocy, and Sharla's blatant man-eating are neutralised by Juno Temple's strange, quirky presence, and her submissive relationship with Killer Joe that is as unsettling as it is oddly sweet. It's a quite amazing performance, and her scenes with an almost equally impressive McConaughey provide the film's highlights.

If the film has a definite strong point, it is in the performances. While the aforementioned Temple and McConaughey will steal the plaudits, Haden Church's dumb, lurch-like performance reminds us why he was Oscar- nominated for the sublime Sideways (2004), providing a sympathetic character amongst Chris's waster and Sharla's trailer trash whore. It's a shame that the plot can't match the performances, and although the story takes a back-seat to the mish-mash of human monsters, this really could have been a whole lot more. This is Coen Brothers territory, taking place in that sweaty world of the Deep South, full of smoky bars, rusty trailers, cowboy hats, motorbikes and overweight, middle-aged men in vests, a modern-day noir world ripe with possibilities, one that I feel has been slightly wasted here.

But if you've ever wondered if a film's climatic scene would ever involved a woman performing fellatio on a chicken drumstick, then here is your answer. Killer Joe's final frames will undoubtedly divide audiences between those who get director William Friedkin's intentions to take things to Jacobian absurdity, to those who will feel it as a silly contradiction to the film early, more subtle black humour. It's a splurge of extreme, uncomfortable violence with a sprinkling of farce, as the true psychological unbalance of Killer Joe becomes evident. Myself, I found it rather hilarious, and it managed to cement what is really an average film with only spatters of inspiration into my memory.

www.the-wrath-of-blog.blogspot.com