When I first heard about Killer Joe I was immediately intrigued. What drew me in was mainly one thing. The director William Friedkin. For those who don't know, Friedkin is the man who helmed such classics as The French Connection and The Exorcist. In the past few years Friedkin hasn't really made anything notably good, mainly mediocre projects such as 2000's Rules of Engagements and 2003's The Hunted, but in 2006 he teamed up with playwright Tracy Letts to bring Letts's play, Bug, to the big screen. The critical reception of the film was slightly above average for the most part and that must have been good enough for the two because they teamed up once again for for the adaptation of Letts's other play, Killer Joe.
Killer Joe stars Emile Hirsch, Thomas Haden Church, Juno Temple, Gina Gershon, and Matthew McConaughey. Hirsch plays a redneck drug dealer in Texas who gets in deep with some wrong people and ends up owing them money. Not seeing any other option he and his father (Church) decide to hire a hit-man, known as Killer Joe (McConaughey), to kill his mother so that he can collect the life insurance and pay of the people he owes.
The film's strength is also it's weakness at points. The fact that it was a stage play first shows and that can drag it down at points, though it also gives the film some pretty good dialogue. The story has various twists and turns throughout along with some horrifying while at the same time darkly hilarious moments, one that comes to mind involves a piece of fried chicken and a blowjob. The only other major problem with the film is the ending, which ends very abruptly and a tad unsatisfying.
The cast is all around pretty solid with the stand out being McConaughey. He steals every scene he's in by being charming, scary, hilarious, twisted, and intimidating all at the same time. This part really proves that the guy can act and out of the films I've seen him in, this is definitely his best role.
Killer Joe is not for everyone. With it's NC-17 rating it is a dark and oddly funny film with good dialogue and a good cast, lead by McConaughey's fantastic turn as the title character. It was definitely refreshing, however, seeing William Friedkin back in form. Altogether Killer Joe is a solid film that is engaging and was a bit over looked in 2012 due to its NC-17 rating, but it definitely deserves recognition.
FINAL RATING: B+
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