All Critics (170) Killer Joe will be a highly divisive film and I myself can't say I necessarily "enjoyed" it rather than experienced its unique brand of tragi-comedy. In West Dallas, Texas, 22-year-old drug dealer Chris Smith comes to the house of his father Ansel and step-mother Sharla, after his mother, Adele, threw him out of her house. Killer Joe premiered at the 68th Venice International Film Festival[10] before making its North American debut at the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival,[11] where US distribution rights were acquired by LD Entertainment. | Rating: 4.5/5 Mickey Liddell Acquires William Friedkin's 'Killer Joe, "Mickey Liddell Launches Indie Distribution Company With Paramount Classics Co-Founder David Dinerstein at Helm", "Edinburgh International Film Festival Opens in Style", https://www.metacritic.com/movie/killer-joe, "William Friedkin Is Developing 'Killer Joe' TV Series With 'Million Dollar Baby' Producer — Exclusive", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Killer_Joe_(film)&oldid=977529532, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 9 September 2020, at 11:16. It makes us laugh at the uncomfortable situation with the sophistication, but you certainly don't want to watch it again. For a moment Dottie sits there, then she gets up and turns. Dottie is the virginal sacrifice (very explicit) in lieu of an advance for Killer Joe’s services.

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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.

|, July 31, 2020 |, March 31, 2020 He comes out of her room and asks increasingly pointed questions of Sharla, which ultimately leads her to admit that she knew the policy was really $100,000 (accidental death is double).

The film's UK premiere was at the Opening Gala of the Edinburgh International Film Festival on June 20, 2012, where it was introduced by Friedkin and Gershon, who later attended the after-party at the National Museum of Scotland. Please reference “Error Code 2121” when contacting customer service. Coming Soon, Regal Dottie says she will go with him, but she must see Joe again first. We want to hear what you have to say but need to verify your email. | Rating: 4/5 Get the freshest reviews, news, and more delivered right to your inbox! Assuming Dottie would share the money with Chris and their father, Chris manages to rope the dim-witted Ansel into hiring Joe Cooper, a police detective who has a side career as a contract killer, to kill Adele (Ansel's ex-wife) to get the money. [15] It opened in three theaters almost a month later (July 27) in the United States. Deal's off. I had a very difficult time finding any of these characters compelling and truly investing in their plight, not even in a deliciously depraved kind of way. We won’t be able to verify your ticket today, but it’s great to know for the future. Friedkin and Letts had also collaborated on the 2006 film Bug. |, December 10, 2019

And while these won't be THE most shocking moments you'll ever see in a movie, 'Joe' left a sour taste in my mouth that will be hard to top, especially in the final act. The performances by Matthew McConaughey (the first film in his insurgence toward Oscar-worthy work), Emile Hirsch, Thomas Haden Church, Juno Temple, and Gina Gershon are all fantastic. Collect bonus rewards from our many partners, including AMC, Stubs, Cinemark Connections, Regal Crown Club when you link accounts. "[5], Keith Uhlich of Time Out New York named Killer Joe the fifth-best film of 2012, calling it a "thrilling black comedy. There is no on-screen rumination or reflection in this amoral vacuum, just savage emotions and primal call-and-response.

[3], Killer Joe received positive reviews from critics and has a rating of 79% on Rotten Tomatoes based on 166 reviews with an average rating of 6.88/10. [20] The Women Film Critics Circle, however, nominated the film for its display of the worst female and male images. The final act is a phenomenal sequence... Killer Joe is tense, character-driven and McConaughey gives the performance of his career.

[17], According to Justin Chang of Variety, "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. "[16] The film also has a score of 62 out of 100 on Metacritic based on 38 reviews. A dark, twisted, glorious throwback to delirious exploitation cinema in vogue at Friedkin's peak in the 1970s, this is one of the most enjoyable, provoking and hilarious films you'll see this year.

|, August 23, 2012 It's so good at being wrong - a 'dark comedy' in the full sense of the term.

Chris refuses to let them, ordering Dottie to leave with him; Joe tells her to stay where she is.