Rent Killer Joe (2011)

Violent black comedy - don't watch it with your granny - Killer Joe review by RP

It's a violent black comedy, directed by William Friedkin (perhaps best known for 'The French Connection' and 'The Exorcist'). Lots of violence, bloodshed, f-ing and blinding, nudity - and one notorious scene featuring a fried chicken leg. So if that's your thing this could be for you - or it could put you off KFC for life...

The story goes something like this: trailer trash family (slow witted father, dotty daughter, slutty stepmother) live on a trailer park. Son lives with his natural mother + her boyfriend and is a part time drug dealer, suspects mother of stealing his coke supply and forcing him into debt. Hatches plan to hire a contract killer (the 'Killer Joe' of the title) to kill his mother for the insurance money. Things go downhill. Err, that's it...

The best part is played by Brit actress Juno Temple as the dotty daughter called, err, Dottie. The film is in fact well acted and directed, but the story is silly, even for a black comedy, and the comedy is overlayed with just too much violence.

I'll give it 3/5 stars. I've seen a lot worse - just don't watch it with your granny. Or with a bucket of KFC.

violence but no story - Killer Joe review by CP Customer

Matthew McConaughey should stick to chick flicks as this was just violence for violence sake..the plot was shaky and the ending? well the less said about that the better

An absolute riot: totally messed up, shocking & genuinely debauched with perfect performances - Killer Joe review by Timmy B

Killer Joe is an out-and-out masterpiece. In a time filled with films trying to shock but usually failing miserably, this is a brilliantly acted movie, filled with genuine surprises as well as brutal violence & sex. You find yourself at times going "Oh no... You're not gonna... Oh you are!" before bursting out laughing.

Chris Smith, a trailer-trash lowlife scumbag drug dealer, has been thrown out by his mother, who has also stolen his supply of cocaine, leaving him seriously in debt to some very bad people. In desperation, he returns back to his father & step-mother, with a plan: hire a contract killer (Joe) to kill his mother & collect the insurance policy, which is in his disabled sister Dottie's name, giving them an easy payday and clearing Chris's debt. However, things get complicated when Joe demands a retainer as security & claims Dottie...

With a film like this, if the cast were not totally committed to it, it would fail within the first 5 minutes. Characters are revealed in the most embarrassing ways imaginable, take part in sleazy sex & generally are the most unlikeable vile people imaginable. And yet they are also a perfect metaphor for what you yourself may very well be like if you were born into that pit of hell, scheming & screwing over your own flesh and blood, knowing that if you won't, they will.

Matthew McConaughey, in full McConaissance rebirth, is absolutely sensational. In 2011 you have to remember that, after an early career in more serious films, he then became Mr RomCom, churning out pretty much the same movie with a slight story variation. After a deliberate hiatus, he took on a series of totally against type films, including this one. Gone is the slightly goofy, relaxed guy looking for a good time. The perfect six-pack on the tanned torso has been transformed into a hulking monster, never more than a second away from violence, with the added power of being an officer of the law. McConaughey is genuinely intimidating. 

But whilst he got most of the headlines, to me as much praise needs to go to Juno Temple, who plays the far more difficult role of Dottie, the developmentally disabled sister of Chris. This type of role is so difficult to get right, because it can be in danger of tipping into a grotesque impersonation of disability. But one of the main reasons this film works is because Dottie is not treated any differently to any of the others. She has her own agency, makes her own decisions and is also an extremely strong-minded woman. However the film also makes sure that everyone in their own way also cares about her, whilst screwing over everyone else. 

The other thing which makes this film so good is its brief running time. Friedkin is an extremely efficient director and this film doesn’t have an ounce of fat on it, perfectly paced & finishing exactly when it should. The scenes are brilliantly constructed as well. It is one of those rare things: a brilliantly acted, no-holds-barred story, performed by actors at the top of their game, making you as the viewer feel a whole range of emotions. 

I absolutely loved it. I just won’t ever look at a piece of KFC the same way again…