Joe (I) (2013)

An ex-con, who is the unlikeliest of role models, meets a 15-year-old boy and is faced with the choice of redemption or ruin.

Director:

David Gordon Green

Writers:

Larry Brown (based on the novel by), Gary Hawkins

Stars:

Nicolas Cage, Tye Sheridan, Gary Poulter

2 wins & 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Nicolas Cage	...	Joe
Tye Sheridan	...	Gary
Gary Poulter	...	Wade a.k.a. G-Daawg
Ronnie Gene Blevins	...	Willie-Russell
Adriene Mishler	...	Connie
Brian Mays	...	Junior
Aj Wilson McPhaul	...	Earl
Sue Rock	...	Merle
Heather Kafka	...	Lacy
Brenda Isaacs Booth	...	Mother
Anna Niemtschk	...	Dorothy
Elbert Hill III	...	Shorty (as Elbert Evan Hill III)
Milton Fountain	...	Milton
Roderick L. Polk	...	Roscoe
Aaron Spivey-Sorrells	...	Sammy

Storyline

An ex-con, who is the unlikeliest of role models, meets a 15-year-old boy and is faced with the choice of redemption or ruin.

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Plot Keywords:

cigarette smoking | murder | drunk | rifle | blood | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

18A

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

11 April 2014 (Turkey)

Also Known As:

Dzo

Filming Locations:

Austin, Texas, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$4,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$105,881 (USA) (11 April 2014)

Gross:

$371,897 (USA) (16 May 2014)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Worldview Entertainment, Dreambridge Films, Muskat Filmed Properties

Technical Specs

Runtime:

117 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Gary Poulter, who plays the part of Wade the father a.k.a. G-Daawg, was a homeless man given the role by director David Gordon Green, who often casts locals in his movies. Poulter died on the streets of Austin a couple of months after filming stopped.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Gary: Hey, old man, you look at me. I got something to say to you. Every time we land someplace new, you say it's going to be different, but it ain't. You mess up. A lot. Then you leave a mess for me and Momma and Dorothy to clean up. And that ain't right. That's all I'm saying. Hell, I do what I gotta do. You do whatever you hell you want - whatever you can get away with. You're just a selfish old drunk. Yeah, that's what you is. This place is gonna be better after us. Hell, they're be ...
[...]

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Connections

References Ghost Busters (1984)

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Soundtracks

For Anyone's Sake
Written by Ryan Bingham
Performed by Ryan Bingham
Courtesy of Axster Bingham Records

User Reviews

The best drama of 2014 so far

"You pretend to be asleep, but I know you'd cry if I said the wrong thing."

Joe is a powerful and emotional drama that despite being slow grips you thanks to an intense realism and some excellent performances. Many have compared this to last year's MUD perhaps because teenager Tye Sheridan is in both films and they happen to take place in southern America dealing with some trashy characters. I really felt this film was more similar to Jennifer Lawrence's Winter's Bone in mood and tone, since MUD had an underlying romantic theme which this film lacks and you have two young characters that have to face great obstacles in order to sustain their families. With his performance in Joe, Tye Sheridan, has acquired quite an impressive resume despite his young age adding this performance to his work in MUD and The Tree of Life. As the title suggests however, the film benefits from a great lead performance from Cage who plays Joe, a man with a troubled past who gets a chance at redemption when he meets this young kid and becomes a sort of role model for him. This is one of Nicolas Cage's top 5 performances and a return to form for the actor that I grew up loving in the 90's. Perhaps my favorite performance in the film comes from newcomer, Gary Poulter, who plays the abusive alcoholic father. I can't think of a more horrifying villain than the character he portrays in Joe. Director, David Gordon Green, has also had a return to form after his disappointing turns in the comedies The Sitter and Your Highness. He is a very versatile director who received a lot of critical acclaim from his early small indies, George Washington and All the Real Girls, and then he also had success with his first stoner comedy, Pineapple Express. You would never imagine Joe was directed by the same person considering this is such a dark emotional drama.

Joe takes place in the wild South lands of Mississippi where we meet Joe Ransom (Nicolas Cage), an ex-con and heavy drinker who is trying to lay low working as a lumberjack. His life takes a turn when he meets a young 15 year old named Gary (Tye Sheridan) who comes to him looking for a job. Gary is the oldest son of a homeless family who suffers abuse from his alcoholic father, Wade (Gary Poulter). Wade spends all the money in booze and beats Gary on a regular basis. Joe's protective instincts come to play when he takes a liking for Joe who he tries to help. Despite having a lot of friends in the small local town, Joe also has made some enemies due to his heavy drinking and constant trouble with the law, and despite how much he tries to restrain himself from hurting others, seeing Gary being constantly abused awakens his anger towards his abusive father.

The characters in this film have a lot of depth and the realism with which they are portrayed by the actors is shocking at times. Sheridan gives a similar performance as that of Lawrence in Winter's Bone, Nicolas Cage is outstanding as well in his restrained role, and Poulter is so terrifying that he makes everyone's father look like a saint. The film has a haunting atmosphere and the drama is so rich that it is hard to remain emotionally detached to the story. It is a powerful and honest drama, one of the best from 2014. It's one of those rare emotional character studies that doesn't feel manipulative and never hits a false note. Cage reminds us why he was such a success in the past and I'm glad to see him back in form after a terrible batch of films.