Two Jews On Killer Joe

‘Killer Joe’ written by the brilliant, Pulitzer Prize winning playwright, Tracy Letts (based on his play) and directed by the 70+ year old, William Friedkin (Exorcist) blew me away for many reasons…But the main one is…

Matthew McConaughey’s extraordinary Oscar worthy performance as cop/hitman, Killer Joe Cooper. Never has McConaughey been better or more terrifying.

The film is a black comedy…violent, sexual, raw, thrilling and yes…funny in a very dark twisted, sort of way.

The story revolves around a trailer trash dysfunctional family and the killer they hire, to knock off someone, that is definitely NOT near and dear to them.

Sharla Smith (Gina Gershon) a woman who enjoys parading her naked body around her stepson, Chris (Emile Hirsch) shares a trailer with her loser hubby, Ansel (Thomas Haden Church) and his daughter, Dottie (Juno Temple)

Chris borrowed a large sum of money from a group of nasty men and now, they want it back. Trouble is, Chris is broke and can’t pay them. But the dude has a plan…Kill his mother (Ansel’s ex-wife) and collect the insurance money.

Daddy Ansel thinks it’s a super idea and he’s more than willing to help his son execute the plan. Now that’s a good father.

Unfortunately, as creepy as our guys are, murder is not exactly their thing. So they hire a cop/hitman, Killer Joe Cooper to do the job for them.

Problem solved, right? Not quite. Killer Joe won’t do the hit unless he’s paid his fee of $10,000 upfront. Looks like the boys are back to square one and Chris’s days are numbered.

But miracles do happen, even for a low life like Chris. Seems Joe has taken a fancy to kid sister Dottie and he agrees to forgo his $10,000 fee for…one dinner date with the lovely girl. Chris says…no way, but Miss Dottie agrees.

Dinner starts out perfect, but then…well I don’t want to spoil the fun by giving anything a way. But I will tell you that what happens in ‘Killer Joe’ is definitely jaw dropping shocking, making this movie, one you’ll remember for a very long time.

This is also one of director William Friedkin’s best films in years…Which just goes to prove the saying…’some things do get better with age’.

John and I both gave ‘Killer Joe’ which opens in theatres Friday July 27, 2010 4 1/2 bagles out of 5….John’s biggest bagel score in a really long time.

Check out of video for more of our thoughts and…Please SUBSCRIBE to our channel and LIKE us on our Two Jews On Film Facebook page.

Let us know your thoughts on this NC17 RATED indie film.

Podcast: Download

Author
Recent Posts

Joan and John Schwartz

Joan and John Schwartz are ex New Yorkers, living in Los Angeles. They are married and see a lot of films. They usually disagree but always tell it like it is. John is most famous for creating the cult classic films Faces of Death. He has also written for various prime time series and has written movies for both Showtime and HBO. In the world of reality television John has produced, written and directed over 450 segments for various magazine shows He has also written and Executive Produced several Prime-Time Specials. Joan has appeared on the New York Stage on and off Broadway…and has been in several Los Angeles theater productions as well.. Joan has been in several low budget films and at present she is busy writing screenplays with her husband, John.

Latest posts by Joan and John Schwartz (see all)