Killer Joe

Plot - When he finds himself in considerable debt to a local gang boss, 22-year-old drug dealer Chris Smith (Hirsch) comes up with a radical solution to his problems. He decides to have his mother Adele murdered so that he can collect on her insurance money; a plan that proves surprisingly popular with his whole family. Along with his father and Adele's ex-husband Ansel (Church), they decide to go ahead with the plan and hire Joe Cooper (McConaughey). Cooper, a police detective who just happens to moonlight as a contract killer, agrees to take on the job but demands payment up front. This proves to be a problem for the family who cannot afford it; they had been planning to pay him afterwards with the insurance money. With the deal initially seeming to be dead, an alternative payment method is agreed upon. Joe will take on Chris' younger sister Dottie (Temple) as a 'retainer.' Having suffered a head injury when she was young, Dottie is a very unique young girl; simple-minded, childlike and decidedly odd, Joe actually becomes very taken with her. The growing relationship between Joe and Dottie does not sit well with Chris however, setting the two men on an explosive collision course. Finding himself in considerable debt, Chris a Texan drug dealer, decides the only solution is to murder his mother to collect the insurance money. Getting together with his father, the ex-husband of Chris' mother, they decide to hire Joe Cooper a contract killer, who also happens to be a police detective. The plan is that the money will go to Chris' sister Dottie. However due to the size of the contract fee, Chris agrees that Joe can take Dottie as a retainer until the insurance comes through.

“Shower! Shower! I need to go and have a shower right this instant!” Those were my first thoughts upon finishing this brutal, unflinching film, the latest from William Friedkin. Killer Joe truly is a nasty, sordid, lurid film that left me feeling decidedly dirty; a film of unflinching violence, incestual subtext, the most cold-blooded of murders, sexual humiliation, full frontal nudity and perhaps one of the most f*cked-up of families ever committed to the screen. You don't often see a film like this these days, certainly not one featuring an A-lister as its star. It's the kind of film you struggle to imagine anyone truly loving. And if you ever do come across someone who does you may do well to give them a wide berth; chances are they're pretty messed up!

For all that depravity however I have to admit to finding it strangely mesmeric and rather compelling, especially as it enters the final stretch where the twists and impactful scenes come thick and fast. Much of that compelling nature can be attributed to the central performance of Matthew McConaughey. I've now seen just about everything that has constituted the McConaissance. And while I have been greatly impressed by everything he has done and become a big fan in the process, this here really is something quite different to anything I've seen McConaughey do before. His performance as 'Killer' Joe Cooper is a darkly magnetic powerhouse of a showing, and one that on occasion had the ability to chill me to my very bones. With his sadistic depths only being revealed gradually it's a performance that just grows and grows throughout the film, leaving the audience never entirely sure where this guy is going to go next. It's nearly impossible to marry this guy to the man who had become the shirtless mainstay of romantic comedies and become a parody in the process. Had Kate Hudson ever run into the Matthew McConaughey of Killer Joe she would have been in a world of trouble.

While McConaughey delivers the stand-out performance that will stay with you, the entire cast are actually very strong in bringing to life the trashiest of trailer trash families. Emile Hirsch sparks with a nervous, fiery energy and plays beautifully off of Thomas Haden Church as his father. Juno Temple I found to be just delightful and somewhat ethereal as the brain damaged Dottie. She plays the character as such a frail, vulnerable individual and yet on occasion it feels like she imbues the character with a unique wisdom of a sorts. Gina Gershon, in what seems like an all too rare prominent role these days, smolders as the trashy, sultry Sharla. The individual who comes closest to stealing the show from McConaughey however is Thomas Haden Church, highly amusing and even strangely endearing as the simple-minded patriarch of the family, Ansel. Oh and even though he only appears in a single scene I have to give a mention to Marc Macaulay who portrays local gang boss, Digger Soames. He makes for a chilling, darkly charismatic presence and one you're left hoping will show up again.

William Friedkin is a director who really made his name in the 1970s but whose name and reputation have been in steady decline every since really. With this film however he proves that there's still some life in the old dog yet. Killer Joe is a powerful, incendiary effort that seemingly attempts to push every button imaginable; it's no surprise that its release sparked a bit of a controversial reaction. And much of those qualities are a result of Friedkin's vigorous and energetic direction, though the punchy dialogue of Tracy Lett's script is also a contributing factor. Together they create a film constructed of one dynamic and edgy scene after another, many of which may leave you ill at ease. In particular there is a scene featuring a chicken drumstick that is amongst the more uncomfortable scenes I've endured in quite some time, and one that is unlikely to be leaving my mind anytime soon.

For all of its dysfunctional and disconcerting elements elements Killer Joe does actually play a substantial amount of it for laughs. To describe its humour as being merely dark however doesn't come close to serving it justice. It attempts to mine its humour from some of the darkest places imaginable, and actually succeeds in being very funny on more occasions than you'd imagine or perhaps like to admit to. However I think that is where one of the film's main flaws is also to be found, that of its tone. The humour generally originates out of a pretty dark and disturbing place. On occasion however it descends into territory of a much more farcical and downright silly nature and the balance has a tendency to feel just a bit off.

Conclusion - I have to say that as a film-making exercise I feel I'm perhaps under-rating this a touch. The reason being that in terms of the approach the film aimed for it succeeds with great aplomb. It's just that the approach is an acquired taste to say the least. A slow first half hurts it but a series of strong performances, a stylish aesthetic and real verve ensure it finishes strongly. It is actually a film I could imagine myself possibly growing to like more on repeat viewings. The only problem however is trying to imagine when I'll next feel up to subjecting myself to its vile ways.