Killer Joe (2011)

Directed by William Friedkin

Starring Matthew McConaughey and Juno Temple

Runtime 102min. - Rated NC-17

4 Stars (out of 4)

What happened to Matthew McConaughey? He used to be so much fun. A movie like "Sahara" would give me something to bitch about for months. It seemed like every time I got bored with complaining about one of his awful films another would be released and rekindle my enthusiasm. "Ghosts of Girlfriends Past", "Surfer Dude", "Failure To Launch", "Fool's Gold"; the list goes on and on. Sure, he'd throw in a serious attempt every once in a while like "Two For The Money" or "We Are Marshall", but his real value to the film community was setting the bar so low that other movies seemed awesome by comparison.

When I saw "The Lincoln Lawyer" last year I was shocked. He played the character at the perfect pitch and never wavered. I instantly recommended the movie to all my friends. Usually I had to clarify that recommendation with something like, "Yes I know it's McConaughey, but it's good." I just figured it was an accident, or perhaps the consequence of a superbly talented director. I certainly didn't think any of the film's success was due to McConaughey. A couple of months ago I saw "Bernie". McConaughey costars as a cocky hillbilly lawyer and once again he did a fine job. He didn't star, but the film would have been a little less interesting without his character.


McConaughey plays the titular psychopath in "Killer Joe", the latest work from "Exorcist" director William Friedkin. The greatest achievement of the film may be related specifically to me. After years of griping, I'm now declaring myself a Matthew McConaughey fan. His performance is absolutely stellar and if the film had no other redeeming qualities it would still be worth watching due to that alone.

It does have other redeeming qualities though, many of them actually. So let's get to it.

Besides Killer Joe, the film's main characters are the Smith family. "White trash" probably describes the family best, but I'd go with a harsher idiom if I could think of one. Chris and Dottie Smith are the adult offspring of Ansel Smith who has divorced their mother and remarried Sharla. When the film opens, Chris knocks on Ansel's door and his step mother answers wearing a sleeveless shirt and, uh, well that's it. He's standing on a step and is perfectly eye level with his stepmother's bush. As an aside, do you know what a merkin is? It's a wig for genitals. Gina Gershon was wearing one for this scene so her bush would be extra bushy. I like my reviews to be educational. But I digress. Chris' late night visit was to ask his father for $5,000. You only have to look at Ansel to know he's never seen 5K in his life. Chris is insistent though. He's in trouble with a drug dealer. Or maybe it was a loan shark. The point is he owed some low life some money.

When his dad can't help, Chris offers his back-up plan. It turns out that he hates his mother. Actually, everybody hates his mother. Chris had heard through a source that his mom has a $50,000 life insurance policy that pays out to his sister. He heard through that same source that there's a guy named Killer Joe who will kill her for $20K which would leave $30K to split with the rest of his family. The initially keep the plan hidden from Dottie but after she overhears them she gives them her complete blessing.

Dottie is very childlike. They don't reveal her actual age in the film but apparently the character is 20 in the source material. She would pass for a 16 year old. When Chris and Ansel meet with Killer Joe he wants the money up front. When they can't pay he demands Dottie as a retainer. Since Ansel and Chris are both selfish assholes they comply with little hesitation.

That's the setup of the plot and I don't feel the need to share any further. It's not an entirely unpredictable script, but that's largely irrelevant. What really makes the film work is the dialogue, tone, set, characters and acting. Despite being "Rated NC-17 for graphic disturbing content involving violence and sexuality, and a scene of brutality," the film is actually a comedy. It takes some talent and careful craftsmanship for a scene to be both hilarious and disturbing. The most talked about scene in the film is a good example. Killer Joe gets mad at Sharla and proceeds to punch her in the nose. While she cries and bleeds on the floor he picks up a chicken leg from KFC and holds it near his pants zipper. He proceeds to force Sharla into deep-throating the chicken leg while he becomes aroused and eventually climaxes, or at least pretends to. The act is so absurd that you can't help but be amused. On the other hand, McConaughey and Gina Gershon act the scene with complete conviction leaving the viewer a little nauseous while giggling.

Juno Temple as Dottie

"Killer Joe" is a catchy movie title. "Dottie" may have been a more appropriate one. To me, Dottie is the protagonist of the film. She's certainly the only character with any measure of decency. Juno Temple does a fantastic job of playing Dottie. She expertly portrays the dangerous combination of childish naivety and erotic magnetism. Yes, I realize how pervy that sounds, but there's no other way to describe the effect. I guess I could've gone with "youthful exuberance and imminent screwability". Any way you slice it, Juno Temple is destined to be one of Hollywood's biggest stars. I was smitten with her in "Kaboom" and "Killer Joe" has only strengthened that sentiment.

I've managed to talk about the great acting of "Killer Joe" without mentioning the involvement of Thomas Haden Church. That's a pretty big indicator of just how much I love the film. I will just say that he's terrific as usual and that his character's facial hair is a sight to behold.

"Killer Joe" started off as a stage play and you can see that influence, especially in the final moments of the film. The play was written and adapted for the screen by Tracy Letts. It's the same arrangement responsible for the fantastic 2006 film "Bug" starring Ashley Judd and Michael Shannon. I can only hope that Friedkin and Letts work together again in the future. Friedkin certainly has a talent for making the strengths of stage drama work for the screen. "Killer Joe" is a memorable experience and if you're lucky enough to have it playing in your town you should definitely see it.

As this film makes its theatrical run McConaughey is working on his role for "The Dallas Buyer's Club." He plays an aids patient and has prepared for the character by losing massive amounts of weight. There's no guarantee the movie will be good, but seeing McConaughey make this kind of sacrifice for a role is something I never thought I'd see. It seems he has no intention providing any more ammunition to critics and cynics like myself. Then again, I haven't seen "Magic Mike" yet.