DVD Review: Killer Joe

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Well that escalated quickly.

Chris (Emile Hirsch) is in big trouble. After his mother steals his blow, he cannot pay his drug dealer back. He convinces his dimwitted father Ansel (Thomas Hayden Church) to hire a detective that moonlights as a hit man, Joe (Matthew McConaughey) to kill her. You see, she has a large insurance policy and they plan to pay Joe once they cash it in. Joe's not an idiot, he wants a retainer, and he gets one in the form of Chris's precious little sister, Dottie. (Juno Temple)

Killer Joe is easily one of the creepiest movies I've seen in a long time. Every scene with Joe and Dottie felt wrong, even though we are clearly told that Dottie is 20. Juno Temple plays her so innocent, sweet and childlike it's easy to forget her age and just feel bad for her getting taken advantage of. I'm sure many of you have heard of "that scene" towards the end with Joe and Ansel's new wife Sharla. (Gina Gershon) Knowing about it ahead of time doesn't make it any less shocking. It's brutal and McConaughey is so sadistically convincing. I remember a lot of blogger talk about him getting snubbed for Magic Mike. If anything, just that scene alone blows everything he did in Mike out of the water. He's golden here.

I felt dirty after watching this, but not in a bad way. I felt like a kid sneaking into an R rated movie. Like everything I was watching was so wrong, but I couldn't look away because it was that compelling. I hated the ending immediately after watching the film. But after discussing it with others and taking some time to think, it really does work with the nature of the film.
Recommended: Yes

Grade: B+

Memorable Quote: "I did know who you were!" - Sharla (Gina Gershon)

Comments

  1. AnonymousFebruary 4, 2013 at 1:16 PM

    Great review! I reviewed this one recently too. *Wrong* is a good way to describe it, but it's so much fun. :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. s.February 4, 2013 at 3:31 PM

    Glad you liked it! I agree Matt was so much better here than in Killer Joe.

    ReplyDelete
  3. JoshFebruary 5, 2013 at 2:59 PM

    Nice review. Loved the whole cast in this movie, but McConaughey was brilliant!

    ReplyDelete
  4. m.brownFebruary 6, 2013 at 4:47 PM

    Good review. I knew absolutely nothing about what I'd gotten myself into when I went to Killer Joe. Looking back, it was so unexpectedly twisted - I loved it.

    Everyone else in the theater? Not sure about them.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Dan O.February 7, 2013 at 3:11 PM

    Solid review Brittani. It's a crazy movie, but made a whole lot better by the cast that is game for anything. And by that, I do mean ANYTHING.

    ReplyDelete
  6. CourtneyFebruary 15, 2013 at 8:08 PM

    This was the only movie in 2012 that had me absolutely speechless once the credits rolled. Definitely making my top 10 list. That entire cast should have had some form of award recognition...they were tremendous!

    ReplyDelete

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