Director: William Friedkin
Starring: Matthew McConaughey, Emile Hirsch, Thomas Haden Church, Gina Gershon, Juno Temple
Running Time: 102 minutes
Certificate: 18
Synopsis: In debt with a local drug lord, Chris (Hirsch), along with his Father Ansel (Haden Church), plots to have his mother killed for her hefty life insurance payout. The two hire Killer Joe Cooper (McConaughey), a local sheriff who moonlights as an assassin for hire. But when Joe meets Chris’s young sister Dottie (Temple), are Chris and Ansel prepared to pay his price?
Based on screenwriter Tracey Letts’ 1993 play of the same name, KILLER JOE is an excellent return to filmmaking for William Friedkin, and arguably one of the best films so far this year.
Essentially it’s a simple, oddball concept – what if the hitman you’ve hired moves in with you and your family – but it’s one that has plenty of dramatic and comedic possibilities. Friedkin embraces the darkness of such a concept, exploring the family unit as a self-destructive force that will ultimately tear itself apart through greed and betrayal, and yet he doesn’t shy away from lending the situations portrayed here a perverse sense of humor. The scenes between the dysfunctional family and crazy, creepy Joe are electrifying, both darkly funny and horribly nasty. The highlight of the entire film – the kitchen dinner dénouement – is uncomfortable and painful to watch and yet at the same time a joy to behold, thanks largely to the flawless direction and the sublime comedic interplay between the lead actors.
Oh, and what lead actors – for a start, Matthew McConaughey gives what can only be called a career-defining performance. It’s a perfect example of how downplaying the menace can seem all the more threatening. McConaughey’s performance here is equally creepy, hilarious, touching, and best of all, absolutely terrifying. The moment he appears on screen, Joe leaves you uneasy and uncomfortable, much in the same way he makes the characters in the movie feel, and much of that unease is down to McConaughey’s first-class interpretation.
Emile Hirsch as the ambitious but desperate Chris is also on top form; he is sympathetic, and yet at times, extremely unlikeable. Thomas Haden Church is also a marvel to behold as Chris’s ineffectual father Ansel, his performance giving that sense of a life wasted, of a life pretty much given up on. But the real one to watch here (aside from McConaughey) is the brilliant Juno Temple as the strange and free-spirited Dottie. Temple imbues her performance with a brilliant sense of innocence and naivety, making later events in the film all the more shocking, and her scenes with McConaughey are disturbing and suspenseful, whilst at the same time, actually rather sweet and endearing. The fact that the sweetest, most loving scenes in the film are between a young schoolgirl and a hired contract killer is an inventive storytelling device which shows just how f****d up this family unit truly is.
It’s uncomfortable to watch in many places. The violence on display is nasty and raw, and probably won’t be to everyone’s taste. Likewise, the black humor, whilst funny, may not have everyone rolling in the aisles (I’d be very worried for their sanity if they were). But if it’s a dark, shocking, and occasionally funny thriller you be seeking, then KILLER JOE won’t disappoint.
Though it might make you feel slightly sick if you partake in regular KFC binges. You have been warned…
Killer Joe is released in UK Cinemas 27th July.
