Killer Joe (William Friedkin, 2012)

[Spielberg_Fan]

This was insane. I loved it.

I am a big Tracy Letts fan, certainly one of the most exciting playwrights working today. I thought Friedkin's Bug was a fantastic adaption of some pretty hard to adapt material.

Killer Joe is narratively much easier to adapt, so this movie comes across as perhaps smoother. It's remarkably tense, pitch black, hilarious, repulsive. I think its sensibility is very New Hollywood. No holds barred filmmaking for sure.

The cast is across the board great, Gershon and McConaughey being standouts for sure. I know it's been said a million times already, but McConaughey is having such a remarkable year, isn't he? He's got to snag an Oscar nom. Though I doubt it will be for this; Killer Joe is definitely not to the Academy's taste. I think at this point, Magic Mike looks to be his best bet.

While August: Osage County is pretty different in a lot of ways from Bug or Killer Joe, I wish Friedkin had been picked to direct it. Letts and Friedkin clearly jive together really well.

Also, I'm not sure I'll ever eat KFC again. That scene was one of the craziest I've seen in a while.

[Dooby]

I actually prefer McConoughey's performance in Magic Mike, so I would also prefer if he got a nomination for that, but both his Killer Joe and Magic Mike performances are likely to make my personal ballot.

He has really gotten my respect this year.

[Submerge]

Like I mentioned in another thread, I absolutely adored this. Probably my No. 1 of the year, thus far.

[Rage Colored Glasses]

McConnaughey was fantastic. He starts with having a slightly off edge, but still relatively restrained and businesslike, albeit dead-eyed (" your eyes hurt") and gradually builds more and more until he is a force of twisted malevolence by the end. I never thought McConnaughey would be able to convincingly threaten to wear someone's face, but he totally sells it.

[Moviefreak]

McConaughey definitely deserves a lot of praise and all, but can we talk about Miss Gina Gershon? Can you say OMGbrave?!

[Disco Wolf]

So I rarely get my ass to the movies anymore, but I'm so interested in seeing this. Glad to see ya'll dig it! It's playing down the street from me so I'll be making a point to go sometime this weekend.

[haqyunus]

I didn't like it. The setting was stagey and artificial and doesn't look real at all. Characters were caricatures and cliched dialog which was not even funny. Expect McConaughey and to some extent Haden Church, acting was bad (Hirsch) to overacting (Temple and Geshon). Gina Gershon was brave but she appeared to be trying so hard just like the film itself. Pity because the play and the script seemed to have so much potential. In fact the plot is that the sole thing that kept me interested at all.

[Aurelius]

This was such a delightfully pitch black comedy . Does this film have even one redeeming, 'good' character? Dottie, perhaps, but even she is very casual about killing her mother, and also a bit of a dimwit.

The acting was gloriously over the top by Gershon, and downright disturbing by McConaughey. The rest was passable (though Hayden Church was funny in his deadpan delivery of some of his lines), but for this kind of film, it doesn't really matter. The script however is the winner here, as I never really knew where the plot would go, and it had a few nice twists up its sleeve. Loved it!

[danielvin]

Pretty entertaining movie. Funny stuff.
Mattew Mcconaughey, Juno Temple and Gina Gershon are great here.
Great last thirty minutes. Billie still has it.

[Moviefreak]

I loved this as well. With Gina Gershon and Nicole Kidman, my Supporting Actress ballot this year will look like the finals of Miss Trailer Trash.

[haqyunus]

For me the only thing good was the plot and McConaughey (as lot of you said.) Otherwise did't work for me.

[Elmer Fishpaw, Jr.]

Matthew McConaughey was absolutely brilliant, so much more here than in Magic Mike. The movie was a bit of a mess -- an entertaining and ultra-vivid mess -- but still a mess. The chicken leg scene was unnecessarily protracted, and the accusations of sexism -- and glorifying sexual violence against women as some new transgressive, edgy trope in black humor -- have some merit, especially because the character (apparently) earned this humiliation by being smarter than everyone else. Gina Gershon was spectacular in the last third, but wasn't served well in the first two. But McConaughey -- wow. Totally impressive.

[guany]

Saw this the other night. Didn't love it, but I enjoyed the acting, especially from Matthew McConaughey (his best work this year, for sure) and Gina "K Fried C" Gershon. That last 20 or so minutes was just amazing, and I think I might have a new Supporting Actress winner.

[lazarus]

Jeeeeeee-sus.


One thing that I'd like to hear some thoughts on...Juno Temple's character is referred to and treated as an idiot, and yet she's quick enough to pick up immediately on what her brother and father are planning (which is odd, considering they're inside a car, in the rain IIRC, and she's not). Also note that the people she kills first are those same two characters, who essentially used her as a piece of collateral.

So like, she knows very well what's transpired here, and while Gershon is technically the revealed villain in the last stretch of the film, Dottie saves her vengeance for the two that mistreated her the most.


Some underrated work from Deschanel here, who should be getting mentioned more.

[haqyunus]

I think the idea (irony) was that she was the one who was smartest of them all. Maybe even the true sociopath. And the idiots were the ones around her who were supposedly controlling her and 'knew' better.

[Jonathan]

Yeah, I think Dottie is a much more interesting character than she's been given credit for, and Temple gives an underrated performance here too. Not as good as Gershon, but she makes someone that could have been insufferable and annoying very compelling, and the closest thing to a moral center for the film (Yes, she's cool with her mom getting offed, but her mom doesn't sound like a pleasant person at all). Really, the core five in the ensemble are all great with their characters, with Hirsch making his character fascinating and real despite being a little shit, and Haden Church gives probably the best performance I've seen from him, being mostly comic relief but keeping it real as someone that seems to have given up on giving a shit ( His apathy at Joe showing him the dick pics is surprisingly funny in an otherwise unnerving scene ).

I loved this. It'll definitely stay in my Top 10 for the year.

[lazarus]

I'm wondering if the original play has the same abrupt ending.

[Jonathan]

I'm wondering if the original play has the same abrupt ending.

Searching the original script on Google Books, it appears so.

[lazarus]

Interesting the script has Dottie's finger on the trigger before she mentions the baby, and she doesn't make any movement as or after he reacts. In the film, she doesn't have her finger on the trigger, but then puts it back on the trigger as Joe is smiling at the news. Which makes it look like Dottie has more of a renewed attempt to shoot him.

[KMKinCB]

I loved this. I thought it was insane.

I think Matthew has been overrated this year in Magic Mike and Bernie, but he was brilliant in this and may end up at #1 for my Best Supporting Actor line-up. Insane.

Gershon and Temple and Haden Church were all amazing as well. Probably my 2nd favorite ensemble of the year behind Cloud Atlas.