When his entire stash is stolen by his very own mother, he must come up with USD6000 - and fast. In desperation, he enlists the help of his father, (Thomas Haden Church: Sideways, Spiderman 3). Desperation quickly turns to despair for the father and son, and together they plot a hostile scheme to enlist the help of a hitman to kill Chris' mother, a low life with no redeeming qualities, for her insurance policy.
In the tradition of Sam Shepherd's superb Buried Child, comes this outstanding screenplay by Tracy Letts. He was the recipient of the 2008 Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award for his play August: Osage County, and has now adapted his 1993 play Killer Joe into film, with William Friedkin in the director's chair.
With diverse films like The French Connection, The Exorcist and Boys in The Band, Friedkin has shown his aptitude for crime, violence and emotional warfare, and with Killer Joe, Friedkin leads us up a dark alley into a pit of repulsion. Friedkin perfectly captures the raw intensity of the vulnerable characters, as well as the sensitive seduction that takes advantage of their fragile disposition. Friedkin is blessed with a great cast. Hirsch will break your heart as Chris, a tormented young man who is trying his best to make the most of his rotten life, with Church equally brilliant as his ruthless father. Matthew McConaughey is excellent as detective Joe Cooper, a charming and malevolent psychopath and hitman who is invited into a nasty plan that spirals into a brutal nightmare.
Juno Temple aptly portrays the sexual awakening of an innocent young girl with her performance as Chris' young sister Dottie, who is held as collateral until the insurance money is collected and becomes Joe's slave. Gina Gershon is a revelation as the wicked stepmother of Chris and Dottie; although it is a character one could easily despise, her sensitive performance and remarkable duality between good and evil captivates.
If you are looking for a film that deals with characters plunged into malevolent darkness and have to redeem themselves through drastic sacrifices, Killer Joe offers human drama at its most extreme. Friedkin's skilful direction and Letts' powerful narrative offer a window to the dark side of human nature that gives us an opportunity to empathise with the shocking reality of criminal minds.
It is sometimes easier to ignore those who live in the underbelly of society and to condemn evil, but Killer Joe gives us an ideal opportunity to venture where angels fear to tread and question our own flaws and weaknesses. It's a shocking and disturbing encounter with malicious consequences and sensitive viewers are warned that there are scenes that will offend the senses when Killer Joe's inner demon is triggered.
William Friedkin stated: "There's a thin line between good and evil and there is the possibility of evil in all of us." With his new project Killer Joe, Friedkin delights in exploring the more sinister aspects that lurk among our fellow mankind. From the Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Tracy Letts, the film portrays those who are forced to face the truth about themselves in close quarters and what happens when they'd rather not. However, it's not an entirely heartless reflection.
Surprisingly, Friedkin revealed: "I myself have felt all of the emotions in my films at one time or another. I was drawn to this project as it's about innocence, victimhood, vengeance, and tenderness." Friedkin embraces the destructive forces within his characters in a way not often seen in cinema today. "So little of what happens to us in life is something that we have control of; all the characters in Killer Joe are trying to get control of their lives, but they can't." Friedkin described Joe as a dark "Deus ex machina, a force of nature that comes in from the outside and affects the lives of all the other people who he touches. However, in this instance, they willingly brought him in; they opened the door to this character, as some people open the door to God within themselves - or to the Devil."
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