''Killer Joe'' is a 2011 American
Southern Gothic
Southern Gothic is an artistic subgenre of fiction, country music, film and television that are heavily influenced by Gothic elements and the American South. Common themes of Southern Gothic include storytelling of deeply flawed, disturbing or ...
black comedy
Black comedy, also known as dark comedy, morbid humor, or gallows humor, is a style of comedy that makes light of subject matter that is generally considered taboo, particularly subjects that are normally considered serious or painful to disc ...
crime
In ordinary language, a crime is an unlawful act punishable by a state or other authority. The term ''crime'' does not, in modern criminal law, have any simple and universally accepted definition,Farmer, Lindsay: "Crime, definitions of", in C ...
psychological thriller
Psychological thriller is a genre combining the thriller and psychological fiction genres. It is commonly used to describe literature or films that deal with psychological narratives in a thriller or thrilling setting.
In terms of context and c ...
directed by
William Friedkin
William "Billy" Friedkin (born August 29, 1935)Biskind, p. 200. is an American film and television director, producer and screenwriter closely identified with the " New Hollywood" movement of the 1970s. Beginning his career in documentaries in ...
. The screenplay by
Tracy Letts
Tracy S. Letts (born July 4, 1965) is an American actor, playwright, and screenwriter. He started his career at the Steppenwolf Theatre before making his Broadway debut as a playwright for '' August: Osage County'' (2007), for which he received ...
is based on his 1993
play of the same name. The film stars
Matthew McConaughey
Matthew David McConaughey ( ; born November 4, 1969) is an American actor. He had his breakout role with a supporting performance in the coming-of-age comedy '' Dazed and Confused'' (1993). After a number of supporting roles, his first succes ...
in the title role,
Emile Hirsch,
Juno Temple,
Gina Gershon
Gina L. Gershon (born June 10, 1962) is an American actress. She has had roles in the films ''Cocktail'' (1988), ''Red Heat'' (1988), '' Showgirls'' (1995), '' Bound'' (1996), '' Face/Off'' (1997), '' The Insider'' (1999), '' Demonlover'' (2002 ...
and
Thomas Haden Church
Thomas Haden Church (born Thomas Richard McMillen; June 17, 1960) is an American actor. After starring in the 1990s sitcom ''Wings'' and playing the lead for two seasons in ''Ned & Stacey'' (1995–1997)'','' Church became known for his film work, ...
. Friedkin and Letts had also collaborated on the 2006 film ''
Bug''.
Plot
In
West Dallas,
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...
, 22-year-old drug dealer Chris Smith comes to the trailer park home of his dimwitted father Ansel and his cheating step-mother Sharla after his mother Adele, Ansel's ex-wife, threw Chris out of her house. To make matters worse, Adele stole his drugs he was supposed to sell and now owes the dealer money; now he (Chris) is desperate to pay off a $6,000 debt to his connection, Digger Soames. Chris tells Ansel that by killing Adele, they can collect on a $50,000
life insurance
Life insurance (or life assurance, especially in the Commonwealth of Nations) is a contract between an insurance policy holder and an insurer or assurer, where the insurer promises to pay a designated beneficiary a sum of money upon the dea ...
policy, of which Chris's sister Dottie is the sole
beneficiary
A beneficiary (also, in trust law, '' cestui que use'') in the broadest sense is a natural person or other legal entity who receives money or other benefits from a benefactor. For example, the beneficiary of a life insurance policy is the person ...
. Chris and Ansel agree that after paying a
hit man
Contract killing is a form of murder or assassination in which one party hires another party to kill a targeted person or persons. It involves an illegal agreement which includes some form of payment, monetary or otherwise. Either party may be ...
from the proceeds of the insurance policy, they will split the remainder four ways between themselves, Dottie, and Sharla. Dottie approves of the plan and Chris arranges a meeting with Joe Cooper, a
police
The police are a Law enforcement organization, constituted body of Law enforcement officer, persons empowered by a State (polity), state, with the aim to law enforcement, enforce the law, to ensure the safety, health and possessions of citize ...
detective
A detective is an investigator, usually a member of a law enforcement agency. They often collect information to solve crimes by talking to witnesses and informants, collecting physical evidence, or searching records in databases. This leads th ...
who has a side career as a
contract killer
Contract killing is a form of murder or assassination in which one party hires another party to kill a targeted person or persons. It involves an illegal agreement which includes some form of payment, monetary or otherwise. Either party may be ...
. Before the meeting, Dottie tells Joe that Adele tried to kill her once when she was an infant.
Since Chris and Ansel are broke, the plan almost falls apart when Joe demands $25,000 in advance. However, Joe is interested in young Dottie, an 18-year-old, and offers to take her as a "retainer" until the insurance money comes through. Joe seduces Dottie and they start a relationship. Digger has his goons beat Chris, injuring him badly, and threatens to have him killed unless he pays what he owes. Chris has a change of heart and asks Joe to call off the hit and stop seeing Dottie, only to discover that he has already killed Adele. With Chris' reluctant help, Joe hides the body in a car and torches it.
After Adele's death, the family learns that the insurance beneficiary is actually Rex, Adele's boyfriend, rather than Dottie. Chris then admits he originally heard the details about the policy from Rex, who also told him about Joe, thereby duping Chris into hiring Joe to kill Adele. Ansel blames Chris for the fiasco and tells him he should just kill himself. Chris tries to persuade Dottie to run away with him to escape Digger and Joe, both of whom expect to be paid. Dottie agrees to go with Chris if she can see Joe first.
After Adele's funeral, Joe pulls Rex over in his car and Chris buys an illegal pistol. When Ansel and Sharla return home, they find Joe inside with Dottie. He comes out of her room and asks increasingly pointed questions of Sharla, leading her to admit that she knew the policy was really for $100,000, since
accidental death doubled the payout. Joe shows them a check of that amount payable to Rex, implying he is dead, as well as offering incriminating photos that prove Sharla was having an affair with Rex. Angered, Ansel declines to protect Sharla when Joe chokes her, punches her, and forces her to simulate
oral sex
Oral sex, sometimes referred to as oral intercourse, is sexual activity involving the stimulation of the genitalia of a person by another person using the mouth (including the lips, tongue, or teeth) and the throat. Cunnilingus is oral sex p ...
on a
fried chicken drumstick.
Joe knows Chris is coming to take Dottie away, and threatens to kill Ansel and Sharla if they don't stop him. After Chris arrives and is seated for dinner, Joe announces that he and Dottie will be married. Chris rejects this, ordering Dottie to leave with him. Joe tells her to stay where she is, but Dottie stands up and walks away as both men yell at her. When Chris threatens Joe with his gun, Sharla stabs Chris with a steak knife and Joe tackles him. Ansel and Sharla rush to assist Joe as he savagely beats Chris, not wanting to be killed if Chris flees with Dottie. Dottie recovers the gun and, in a rage, fires several shots, killing Chris and seriously wounding Ansel. Dottie turns the gun on Joe, telling him that she is pregnant. Joe appears overjoyed as he inches closer to Dottie. The film ends just as Dottie moves her finger to the trigger.
Cast
*
Matthew McConaughey
Matthew David McConaughey ( ; born November 4, 1969) is an American actor. He had his breakout role with a supporting performance in the coming-of-age comedy '' Dazed and Confused'' (1993). After a number of supporting roles, his first succes ...
as Detective Joe 'Killer Joe' Cooper
*
Emile Hirsch as Chris Smith
*
Juno Temple as Dottie Smith
*
Gina Gershon
Gina L. Gershon (born June 10, 1962) is an American actress. She has had roles in the films ''Cocktail'' (1988), ''Red Heat'' (1988), '' Showgirls'' (1995), '' Bound'' (1996), '' Face/Off'' (1997), '' The Insider'' (1999), '' Demonlover'' (2002 ...
as Sharla Smith
*
Thomas Haden Church
Thomas Haden Church (born Thomas Richard McMillen; June 17, 1960) is an American actor. After starring in the 1990s sitcom ''Wings'' and playing the lead for two seasons in ''Ned & Stacey'' (1995–1997)'','' Church became known for his film work, ...
as Ansel Smith
*
Marc Macaulay
Marc Macaulay (born October 13, 1957) is an American actor.
Early life and career
He was born and raised in Millinocket, Maine. He graduated with a BFA in theater. He appeared in the USA Network Series '' Burn Notice'' for five episodes as Age ...
as 'Digger' Soames
Rating controversy
In the United States, the film received an
NC-17 rating
The Motion Picture Association film rating system is used in the United States and its territories to rate a motion picture's suitability for certain audiences based on its content. The system and the ratings applied to individual motion pictures ...
from the MPAA for "graphic disturbing content involving violence and sexuality, and a scene of brutality."
After an unsuccessful appeal,
LD Entertainment announced plans to release the movie uncut, with the NC-17 rating, on July 27, 2012.
On October 23, 2012, the film's NC-17 rating was surrendered. It was released in the United States on DVD and Blu-ray unedited, as an unrated director's cut. An R-rated version also was released on DVD. The chicken leg scene was heavily censored, and the beating of Chris during the film's climax was substantially cut, in order to garner the more marketable R rating.
Release
''Killer Joe'' premiered at the
68th Venice International Film Festival
The 68th annual Venice International Film Festival was held in Venice, Italy between 31 August and 10 September 2011. American film director Darren Aronofsky was announced as the Head of the Jury. American actor and film director Al Pacino was p ...
before making its North American debut at the
2011 Toronto International Film Festival
The 36th annual Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) was held in Toronto, Ontario, Canada between September 8 and September 18, 2011.
Buenos Aires, Argentina was selected to be showcased for the 2011 City to City programme. The opening film ...
,
where US distribution rights were acquired by
LD Entertainment.
LD Entertainment, Liddell's new theatrical distribution company headed by David Dinerstein, scheduled its release for July 2012.
The film made its
Quebec
Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirte ...
premiere at the
Fantasia Festival
Fantasia International Film Festival (also known as Fantasia-fest, FanTasia, and Fant-Asia) is a film festival that has been based mainly in Montreal since its founding in 1996. Regularly held in July of each year, it is valued by both hardcore ...
, an annual international genre film festival held in
Montreal
Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple- ...
, Quebec, on July 31, 2012.
The film's UK premiere was at the Opening Gala of the
Edinburgh International Film Festival
The Edinburgh International Film Festival (EIFF) is a film festival that runs for two weeks in June each year. Established in 1947, it is the world's oldest continually running film festival. EIFF presents both UK and international films (all ti ...
on June 20, 2012, where it was introduced by Friedkin and Gershon, who later attended the after-party at the
National Museum of Scotland
The National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh, Scotland, was formed in 2006 with the merger of the new Museum of Scotland, with collections relating to Scottish antiquities, culture and history, and the adjacent Royal Scottish Museum (opene ...
. The film received a theatrical release in the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and ...
on June 29. It opened in three theaters almost a month later (July 27) in the United States.
Box office
The film was not a box office success, only grossing $1,987,762 in the domestic market and $2,645,906 internationally for a worldwide total of $4,633,668.
The film was only released in 75 theaters nationwide and closed on October 14, nine days prior to the rating being surrendered.
Critical reception
''Killer Joe'' has a rating of 80% on
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wan ...
, based on 172 reviews, and an average rating of 6.7/10. The critics consensus on the website states: "Violent, darkly comic, and full of strong performances, ''Killer Joe'' proves William Friedkin hasn't lost his touch, even if the plot may be too lurid for some." The film also has an average score of 62 out of 100 on
Metacritic
Metacritic is a website that aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created by Jason Dietz, Marc ...
, based on 38 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".
According to Justin Chang of ''
Variety
Variety may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats
* Variety (radio)
* Variety show, in theater and television
Films
* ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont
* ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
,'' "''
Killer Joe'' was Letts' first play, written more than a decade before his smash hit ''
August: Osage County,'' and the text's sneer of condescension toward its panoply of
trailer-trash caricatures has not entirely abated here," yet "the film doesn't belabor even its cheaper punchlines, and the fleet, kinetic visual style devised by
d.p. Caleb Deschanel
Joseph Caleb Deschanel, (born September 21, 1944) is an American cinematographer and director of film and television. He has been nominated for the Academy Award for Best Cinematography six times. He is a member of the National Film Preservat ...
and editor Darrin Navarro emphasizes narrative momentum over cruel comedy. To be sure, Friedkin is clearly amused and appalled by his slovenly, foul-mouthed characters, with their off-the-charts levels of dysfunction and incompetence. But he directs them vigorously enough, pushing them past the realm of caricature to individuate themselves onscreen."
''
The Daily Telegraph
''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally.
It was f ...
'' said Church, Gershon, and Hirsch portray a "uniformly gormless family unit" in a film whose "positively
Jacobean climax
arnsits
18 certificate and then some."
Keith Uhlich of ''
Time Out New York'' named ''Killer Joe'' the fifth-best film of 2012, calling it a "thrilling black comedy."
Awards
McConaughey received an Independent Spirit Award nomination for
Best Male Lead. The
Women Film Critics Circle
The Women Film Critics Circle (WFCC) is a film critics
Film criticism is the analysis and evaluation of films and the film medium. In general, film criticism can be divided into two categories: journalistic criticism that appears regularly in ...
, however, nominated the film for its display of the worst female and male images.
* Winner Best Independent Film
Saturn Awards
The Saturn Awards are American awards presented annually by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films. The awards were created to honor science fiction, fantasy, and horror in film, but have since grown to reward other films be ...
* Winner Best Actor
Saturn Awards
The Saturn Awards are American awards presented annually by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films. The awards were created to honor science fiction, fantasy, and horror in film, but have since grown to reward other films be ...
(Matthew McConaughey)
* Nominated Best Director
Saturn Awards
The Saturn Awards are American awards presented annually by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films. The awards were created to honor science fiction, fantasy, and horror in film, but have since grown to reward other films be ...
(William Friedkin)
* Nominated Best Supporting Actress
Saturn Awards
The Saturn Awards are American awards presented annually by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films. The awards were created to honor science fiction, fantasy, and horror in film, but have since grown to reward other films be ...
(Gina Gershon)
* Nominated Best Writing
Saturn Awards
The Saturn Awards are American awards presented annually by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films. The awards were created to honor science fiction, fantasy, and horror in film, but have since grown to reward other films be ...
(Tracey Letts)
* Winner Special Honorary Award
Austin Film Critics Association
The Austin Film Critics Association (AFCA) is an organization of professional film critics from Austin, Texas.
Each year, the AFCA votes on their end-of-year awards for films released in the same calendar year. A special award, the Austin Film ...
(Matthew McConaughey)
* Nominated Grand Prix
Belgian Film Critics Association
The Belgian Film Critics Association (french: Union de la critique de cinéma, UCC) is an organization of film critics from publications based in Brussels, Belgium.
History
The Belgian Film Critics Association was founded in the early 1950s in Br ...
* Nominated Best Actor
Independent Spirit Awards
The Independent Spirit Awards (abbreviated Spirit Awards and originally known as the FINDIE or Friends of Independents Awards), founded in 1984, are awards dedicated to independent filmmakers. Winners were typically presented with acrylic gla ...
(Matthew McConaughey)
* Nominated Best Supporting Actor
San Diego Film Critics Society (Matthew McConaughey)
* Winner Best Supporting Actress
Toronto Film Critics Association
The Toronto Film Critics Association (TFCA) is an organization of film critics from Toronto-based publications. As of 1999, the TFCA is a member of the FIPRESCI.
History
The Toronto Film Critics Association is the official organization of Toron ...
(Gina Gershon)
* Winner Golden Mouse
Venice International Film Festival
The Venice Film Festival or Venice International Film Festival ( it, Mostra Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica della Biennale di Venezia, "International Exhibition of Cinematographic Art of the Venice Biennale") is an annual film festival h ...
(William Friedkin)
* Nominated Golden Lion
Venice International Film Festival
The Venice Film Festival or Venice International Film Festival ( it, Mostra Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica della Biennale di Venezia, "International Exhibition of Cinematographic Art of the Venice Biennale") is an annual film festival h ...
(William Friedkin)
Home media
''Killer Joe'' was released on
DVD and
Blu-ray Disc
The Blu-ray Disc (BD), often known simply as Blu-ray, is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released on June 20, 2006 worldwide. It is designed to supersede the DVD format, and capable of sto ...
December 21, 2012. The DVD features ''Southern Fried Hospitality: From Stage to Screen'' featurette,
South by Southwest
South by Southwest, abbreviated as SXSW and colloquially referred to as South By, is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and conferences organized jointly that take place in mid-March in Austin, ...
Q&A with the cast and intro by Friedkin, and the
red-band theatrical trailer. The Blu-ray Disc includes all DVD features including the theatrically-released cut under the name the "Unrated
Director's Cut
A director's cut is an edited version of a film (or video game, television episode, music video, or commercial) that is supposed to represent the director's own approved edit in contrast to the theatrical release. "Cut" explicitly refers to the ...
" and an
audio commentary
An audio commentary is an additional audio track, usually digital, consisting of a lecture or comments by one or more speakers, that plays in real time with a video. Commentaries can be serious or entertaining in nature, and can add informatio ...
by Friedkin.
TV series
On October 23, 2017, Friedkin announced that he was developing a television series based on his film, albeit without McConaughey.
References
External links
*
*
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Killer Joe (Film)
2011 films
2010s English-language films
2010s crime thriller films
American black comedy films
American crime thriller films
American independent films
2010s exploitation films
Films scored by Tyler Bates
Films about contract killing
Films about dysfunctional families
American films based on plays
Rating controversies in film
Films directed by William Friedkin
Films set in Dallas
Films shot in New Orleans
Juvenile sexuality in films
Southern Gothic films
Worldview Entertainment films
Voltage Pictures films
2011 black comedy films
2011 independent films
2010s American films