A Totally Deep-Fried Texas Redneck Trailer Park Murder Story.
A cop who moonlights as a hit man agrees to kill the hated mother of a desperate drug dealer in exchange for a tumble with the young man's virginal sister.
- Graphic violence
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Character
Bleak, contemporary, overwhelming and unpretentious.
- warmbleak
- contemporarynostalgic
- cooloverwhelming
- unpretentiousprestige
- intimateepic
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“Is Killer Joe emotionally manipulative?”
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“Is Matthew McConaughey the best thing in Killer Joe?”
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“Is this William Friedkin's best work?”
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Reviews on TMDB
Written by TMDB members; each links to the original. Not part of Tastebuds's numbers.
- Nathanon TMDB · Dec 20227/10
_Killer Joe_ had the making to be a genuinely great film, but the quality control in the writing room limits the results. So much of the story works for me on a thematic and plot progression basis. I enjoyed the premise and the stakes that this movie provides, but writer Tracy Letts wrote this like it was some subversive wet dream of his as a teenager. This movie is vial, there is so much unnecessary nudity from creepy changing room shots to women's genitals being presented in full view, to soft-core pornography in the climax of the movie. I understand that this movie is supposed to have no redeeming characters, but the graphicness takes away from the scene more than adds to them. It is very reminiscent of my complaint about Rob Zombie films. With that being said, the performances here are incredible. Matthew McConaughey is amazing. McConaughey is cold, calculated, and downright terrifying in almost every scene he is in. The final twenty minutes of this film are spectacular. His discovery and reveal gave me goosebumps. I loved it. Thomas Haden Church is pretty great too, he is so stupid and pointless that he adds a bit of humor in intense scenes that makes the viewer guilty for lau
Read the whole review on TMDB - John Chardon TMDB · Feb 20199/10
William Friedkin serves up Trailer Trash Neo-Noir with a side order of Fried Chicken. Killer Joe is directed by William Friedkin and adapted to screenplay by Tracy Letts from his own play of the same name. It stars Matthew McConaughey, Emile Hirsch, Juno Temple, Thomas Haden Church and Gina Gershon. Music is scored by Tyler Bates and cinematography by Caleb Deschanel. Plot finds Hirsch as Chris Smith, who because he is in severe debt to local thugs, hatches a plan to bump off his waster of a mother and claim the life insurance. Roping in the rest of his trailer dwelling family, he hires Killer Joe (McConaughey), a cop with a sideline in murder, but the Smith's have no idea just what price they will have to pay for his services. So pulpy, so amusingly dark, Killer Joe is one of those films that will sit at the top of many film fan's best of lists for 2012. Yet if someone came up to me and declared it one of the worst then I certainly will understand. Undeniably it has no widespread appeal, you either get it or you don't, you will either laugh along with Friedkin and his dark observations or you will feel the whole thing is just too ugly to be entertainment. Man it's good to have Fri
Read the whole review on TMDB - Gimlyon TMDB · Feb 20175/10
On the one hand, Killer Joe does get better as it progresses, but on the other, it's also the first Friedkin movie I haven't loved. Final rating:★★½ - Had a lot that appealed to me, didn’t quite work as a whole.
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Cast
- Matthew McConaugheyKiller Joe Cooper
- Emile HirschChris Smith
- Juno TempleDottie Smith
- Thomas Haden ChurchAnsel Smith
- Gina GershonSharla Smith
- Marc MacaulayDigger Soames
- Gralen Bryant BanksPizza Patron
- Carol SuttonSaleslady
- Danny EpperG-Man
- Jeff GalpinBiker Thug
Crew
- William FriedkinDirector
- Tracy LettsScreenplay
- Tracy LettsWriter
- Caleb DeschanelDirector of Photography
- Tyler BatesOriginal Music Composer
- Darrin NavarroEditor
- Nicolas ChartierProducer
- Scott EinbinderProducer
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Pairings
Companions we picked from the closest works, and how to take them.
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Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony 201772% alikeGame · Both contemporary, bleak.
Often watched with
Recommendations from TMDB. Opening one adds it to Tastebuds
