Killer Joe

When you're strapped for cash and in desperate need for quick money, what's the simple solution to this problem? If your solution is hiring a hitman/cop to kill your mother for her $50,000 that she's worth, then you're in a similar boat as the premise of Killer Joe, the latest entry from the director of The Exorcist and Bug, both highly suspenseful and unforgettable thrillers.

Killer Joe stars Emile Hirsch as Chris, a local broke-ass who needs quick money in order to avoid the wrath of the local loan sharks. He finds a solution with Killer Joe (Matthew McConaughey) whose a cop and also ironically enough, a killer for pay. Chris's mother is worth $50,000 dollars which is just enough to get Chris out of hot water and also be split amongst Chris's father and new wife. So if the murder is successful, everyone gets bank. There is obviously complications, mainly involving Killer Joe's extreme interest in Chris's younger sister Dottie (Juno Temple), who happens to be a few screws loose.

Killer Joe's biggest strength lies in the performances. Emile Hirsch holds his own as the lead and Thomas Hayden Church manages to deliver some comic relief as his clueless father as well. But the entire show is stolen by McConaughey as Killer Joe. Every scene is dominated by his prescence, and every noteworthy scene is one involving him. This could have been quite the hammy and OTT portrayal in the wrong actor's hands, but McConaughey actually manages to keep his delivery quite subtle. He's chilling and menacing without even really having to try.

Killer Joe, unfortunately, does have some enormous problems though. The biggest one is the definitely the tone. It's obvious that the director was shooting for a quite dark, punishing, and grim tone but the execution is problematic. There seems to be a general opinion about being mean and how it's acceptable if it's enjoyable for those viewing it. And that's the problem with Killer Joe, it's nasty and demented, without being any fun. People are beaten to a pulp, killed, and in one especially nasty scene, forced to suck on chicken, but it just feels punishing to watch. It's kind of hard to tell if the director wanted the material to be funny or scary, but a lot of the time, with the exception of the humor provided by Church and the thrills by McConaughey, it just feels like it belongs in neither category. Watching people get the shit knocked out of them isn't really scary or funny. It's just punishing.

Editing is also something I feel Killer Joe could have used a bit more of. The first half of the movie is terribly slow, you keep waiting for something to happen that just won't come. It's build up for something that has potential to be stellar but just isn't. Kind of like a roller coaster with a giant hill that just keeps winding and winding and winding up. It could have used a bit more excitement in the first half because the last half just feels rushed as a result. Add on a completely puzzling ending that will leave more questions then answers, and you have a movie that feels deadly dull when you look back.

1/4