I was unaware it rained so much in Texas. Every night in this movie it is pouring after raging sunlight during the day. I was as unprepared for this as I was unprepared for the tone of Killer Joe. Despite its well earned NC-17 rating for sexuality and violence, the tone is surprisingly comedic. Anchored by a riveting Matthew McConaughey and some scenery chewing acting, Killer Joe is very good dark comedy and a solid thriller. You will feel bad about it, but you will laugh at some of the scenes Director William Friedkin has crafted.
Chris (Emile Hirsch) is in dire straits. He owes money to a bookie with resources to get even. The only way to raise enough money is to kill his own mother, who has a life insurance policy. With help from his dad (Thomas Haden Church) and stepmom (Gina Gershon), he decides to strike a deal with Killer Joe (McConaughey), a police detective who doubles as an assassin. Unfortunately for Chris, Killer Joe wants money up front; he does however allow Chris to offer him a retainer: Chris’s sister Dottie (Juno Temple).
William Friedkin, the director of the Exorcist and the French Connection, draws from both movies in creating Killer Joe. From the Exorcist, he uses long intimate takes in confined spaces with no musical background to elevate tension as in the exorcism scene. In Killer Joe, this technique is on display during dinner involving family members and Joe, of which if I were I invited I hope to NEVER get served fried chicken. From the French Connection, Friedkin uses the fact that his lead is very engaging and morally enigmatic, which provides mystery surrounding the character’s actions going forward. Also like the French Connection, the ending is left semi-ambiguous, which can be slightly frustrating.
If only the thriller part of the story wasn’t so poorly thrown together. Chris and his dad are two of the stupidest characters in recent movie memory. The movie acknowledges this; however, their stupidity is so rampant it threatens the credulity of the movie in general. The reason the two decide to visit Killer Joe feels rushed and very unearned. Chris over the course of the story finds ways to obtain more money to get out of his predicament, but loses the money in pointless ways. Chris’s dad realizes he messed up with Chris, however, instead of trying to help raise Dottie correctly, he leaves her to fend for herself against Killer Joe. I understand it is important for Chris’s dad to seem like a pushover, but even he would put his foot down when it comes to protecting his daughter from a hitman.
One good result of the general character incompetence: it keeps the screenplay from becoming too dark. In fact, Killer Joe works really well as a comedy since there is quite a bit of envelope pushing going on. There is a decent running gag with a dog outside the trailer home of the family. The interplay between Joe and Dottie as they get to know each other is very funny and adult. Chris and his dad also have some hysterical conversations. If the story didn’t attract a presence like McConaughey, it could probably have become a very interesting black comedy involving a family in over its head. As is, the comedy is reasonably integrated into Killer Joe, but not as sharply integrated in better movies (like Sin City).
Matthew McConaughey’s Killer Joe (just like his character in Magic Mike) plays to the actors strengths. McConaughey is at his best when he is equal parts sleazy and sexy, and that is on fully display (only the butt, like in Magic Mike) here. His Killer Joe draws different reactions depending on who he is interacting with: with Dottie, it is reverence, with Chris, it is fear, and with the parents, it is respect. To illicit these contradicting reactions requires a complexity in character that McConaughey nails; he radiates when he is on-screen. Juno Temple is solid as Dottie, and her scenes with McConaughey pop. Thomas Haden Church hasn’t been this funny since Sideways. Emile Hirsch, who makes one good movie and then one bad one, is in good form here, and Gina Gershon really earns her screen time. The cinematography from Caleb Deschanel showcases the depravity of these character’s situation, but goes a little over the top with the weather.
Killer Joe is a comedy masquerading as an NC-17 sexual thriller. By tapping into the best parts of Matthew McConaughey, William Friedkin not only gives us a very entertaining story, but he also dares to show someone not happy that he is from Texas (Chris). Between that and ruining fried chicken for the masses, Killer Joe leaves no stone unturned.