Killer Joe
2/4
Starring: Emile Hirsch, Matthew McConaughey, Juno Temple, Thomas Haden Church, Gina Gershon
Rated NC-17 for Graphic Disturbing Content involving Violence and Sexuality, and a Scene of Brutality
NC-17 movies are exceedingly rare. Major studios have always cut them to get an R rating if they don't win an appeal after "Showgirls" bombed at the box office. There are only five theatrically released movies with the rating (other than this one) that I can think of: "Shame," the Michael Fassbender film that was released last year, "Henry & June" (originally an X, but re-rated as an NC-17), "Showgirls" (the only widely released movie with the rating), "The Dreamers," and "Lust, Caution." When "Killer Joe" was slammed by the MPAA with the same rating, LD Entertainment appealed the rating, but lost. In the end, it allowed the film to be released with the NC-17 instead of without one at all (which is what usually happens to arthouse movies in cases like this).
I'd applaud their decision to release it with said rating (even though it doesn't really deserve it--"The Passion of the Christ" and "Sin City" were far more violent. The scene that probably did it in involves, of all things, a piece of Kentucky Fried Chicken) since it would be a huge step in giving the rating legitimacy and may encourage more studios to release unedited versions of movies, except for the fact that the film just isn't very good. It's a wannabe black comedy/thriller that isn't particularly funny or suspenseful.
Chris (Hirsch), a small time drug dealer in Texas has a debt to a loan shark (Marc Macaulay) that he can't pay off. In order to save his life, he convinces his father Ansel (Church), step-mother Sharla (Gershon) and sister Dottie (Temple) to kill his real mother and collect on the insurance. They hire Killer Joe Cooper (McConaughey) to do the deed. But Cooper has some demands that must be met if he's going to agree, including a $25,000 fee up front. Of course, Chris and his family can't pay that until the deed is done. In lieu of payment, Cooper takes Dottie as a retainer until the debt is paid.
Neither Chris nor his family members are blessed with much brainpower. It's a difficult thing to make a film compelling if the characters are dumb without being comically dumb. The Smiths (which is their surname) are too smart to be funny yet too dumb to be interesting. The result is a boring two hours.
Much of the problem is with Tracy Letts' script. It's based on his first play (another of his plays was adapted into the film "Bug," which was also directed by William Friedkin). Letts can boast writing plays with interesting characters and set ups, but no follow through. The plot opens up possibilities for a great noir thriller or a black comedy (or a mixture of both). Unfortunately, it's neither. The characters talk a lot, but they don't say anything of much interest.
The acting is as good as can be expected, but the actors are given little to work with. All have shown talent in the past, and they do what they can. Emile Hirsch is good as the stressed out Chris, and he shows great physicality and emotional turmoil in the scenes where he gets brutally beaten up, but his character suffers from poor motivation. Juno Temple (who bears it all in the role--nice to know that the Brits are not skittish when it comes to nudity) is also good as the ditzy Dottie. Temple gives her a helium voice and a sense of girlish naiivite. Thomas Haden Church makes his character, Ansel, into a truly dumb hick. And Gina Gershon (who appears sans undies) makes a good bitch.
Director William Friedkin has had an interesting career. He's directed classics such as "The Exorcist" (which I found to be extremely overrated) and "The French Connection," for which he snagged a Best Director Oscar. He's also directed crap like "Cruising" and "The Hunted." "Killer Joe" is no classic, but it's no disaster either. It's just somewhere in between.
Starring: Emile Hirsch, Matthew McConaughey, Juno Temple, Thomas Haden Church, Gina Gershon
Rated NC-17 for Graphic Disturbing Content involving Violence and Sexuality, and a Scene of Brutality
NC-17 movies are exceedingly rare. Major studios have always cut them to get an R rating if they don't win an appeal after "Showgirls" bombed at the box office. There are only five theatrically released movies with the rating (other than this one) that I can think of: "Shame," the Michael Fassbender film that was released last year, "Henry & June" (originally an X, but re-rated as an NC-17), "Showgirls" (the only widely released movie with the rating), "The Dreamers," and "Lust, Caution." When "Killer Joe" was slammed by the MPAA with the same rating, LD Entertainment appealed the rating, but lost. In the end, it allowed the film to be released with the NC-17 instead of without one at all (which is what usually happens to arthouse movies in cases like this).
I'd applaud their decision to release it with said rating (even though it doesn't really deserve it--"The Passion of the Christ" and "Sin City" were far more violent. The scene that probably did it in involves, of all things, a piece of Kentucky Fried Chicken) since it would be a huge step in giving the rating legitimacy and may encourage more studios to release unedited versions of movies, except for the fact that the film just isn't very good. It's a wannabe black comedy/thriller that isn't particularly funny or suspenseful.
Chris (Hirsch), a small time drug dealer in Texas has a debt to a loan shark (Marc Macaulay) that he can't pay off. In order to save his life, he convinces his father Ansel (Church), step-mother Sharla (Gershon) and sister Dottie (Temple) to kill his real mother and collect on the insurance. They hire Killer Joe Cooper (McConaughey) to do the deed. But Cooper has some demands that must be met if he's going to agree, including a $25,000 fee up front. Of course, Chris and his family can't pay that until the deed is done. In lieu of payment, Cooper takes Dottie as a retainer until the debt is paid.
Neither Chris nor his family members are blessed with much brainpower. It's a difficult thing to make a film compelling if the characters are dumb without being comically dumb. The Smiths (which is their surname) are too smart to be funny yet too dumb to be interesting. The result is a boring two hours.
Much of the problem is with Tracy Letts' script. It's based on his first play (another of his plays was adapted into the film "Bug," which was also directed by William Friedkin). Letts can boast writing plays with interesting characters and set ups, but no follow through. The plot opens up possibilities for a great noir thriller or a black comedy (or a mixture of both). Unfortunately, it's neither. The characters talk a lot, but they don't say anything of much interest.
The acting is as good as can be expected, but the actors are given little to work with. All have shown talent in the past, and they do what they can. Emile Hirsch is good as the stressed out Chris, and he shows great physicality and emotional turmoil in the scenes where he gets brutally beaten up, but his character suffers from poor motivation. Juno Temple (who bears it all in the role--nice to know that the Brits are not skittish when it comes to nudity) is also good as the ditzy Dottie. Temple gives her a helium voice and a sense of girlish naiivite. Thomas Haden Church makes his character, Ansel, into a truly dumb hick. And Gina Gershon (who appears sans undies) makes a good bitch.
Director William Friedkin has had an interesting career. He's directed classics such as "The Exorcist" (which I found to be extremely overrated) and "The French Connection," for which he snagged a Best Director Oscar. He's also directed crap like "Cruising" and "The Hunted." "Killer Joe" is no classic, but it's no disaster either. It's just somewhere in between.
I too foudn Exorcist overrated, on the other I always thought The Hunted and Jade were severely underrated, i'll probably check this out on DVD for the curiosity factor.
ReplyDeleteThis is one instance where I won't stop you, simply because this film needs all the money it can get. Not because it's a good movie, but because the NC-17 needs to become a more viable rating. If it means that more people have to watch this movie for that to happen, well, I won't lose any sleep over it.
ReplyDelete