Killer Joe [Blu-ray]

Killer Joe evokes the hardboiled regional poetry of Jim Thompson (pop. 1280, The Killer Inside Me) and William Faulkner (who supplies the poetic epigraph), flirts with outright exploitation, provides game actors with roles to relish, and finds the heart of darkness in a bucket of Fried Chicken.Their adaptation leaves the Tracy Lett's source play almost untouched. )Letts and Friedkin previously adapted Letts' play, Bug, with Ashley Judd and Michael Shannon.) A few choice locations open up the Dallas, Texas outskirts but the real meat and inevitable massacre still occur in the pressure-cooker confines of a family trailer home. Cinematographer Caleb Deschanel (Being There, The Right Stuff) employs a grease-stained Edward Hopper vibe refracted by tawdry and cartoonish fluorescents, and the atmosphere is all noir jazz bassline, thunderstorms, blazing trash-can fires, restless pitbulls, and Gina Gershon’s casual crotchbearing. Letts convinced Friedkin to preserve this charming introductory detail in an eight-page memo bearing the advice “Don’t be afraid of the p****.”Meet the Smiths: paterfamilias Ansel, played by a hysterical Thomas Haden Church (Sideways), an oaf in a union suit, too lost in a haze of pot and monster-truck rallies to pay heed to the nude preening of his wife Sharla (Gershon) or the troubles of his hapless son Chris (Emile Hirsch). His daughter, 20-year-old babydoll/Carroll Bakeresque, Dottie (Juno Temple, of Sin City fame and daughter of filmmaker, Julien Temple), is prone to sleepwalking out of her bedroom safe haven of snowglobes and stuffed animals to coo (occasionally lucid) non sequiturs. Chris and Dottie’s mother has been dipping into Chris’s coke stash, the sale of which was to pay off a debt to a local kingpin.So it is decided, with minimal philosophical or logistical debate, that the conspicuously off-screen matriarch must die. A $50,000 life insurance policy can cover the cost of hiring the eponymous cop (Matthew McConaughey), who moonlights as a courteous hit man. The remainder is hardly starting-over money, not that any of these folks has a concrete plan beyond living a bit better than before. There is no on-screen rumination or reflection in this amoral vacuum, just savage emotions and primal call-and-response. These people aren’t too stupid to live, just too stupid to succeed.Dottie is the virginal sacrifice (very explicit) in lieu of an advance for Killer Joe’s services. When Joe looks at Dottie, Friedkin backlights her unbrushed hair into a halo of hope amidst the crossfire of betrayals and bad ideas. McConaughey has taken notes from Robert Mitchum’s Night of the Hunter: avoiding a fullblown cowboy-hat-and-sunglasses camp cartoon. Joe is both sadistic monster and angel of vengeance, greedy predator and tender lover. He is, perhaps, the hero of this sordid tale. Friedkin and Letts possess a bold oldschool faith in familiar pulp tropes and down-and-dirty dialogue, re-creating the sort of electric clash between hyperrealism and hallucination, horror and farce, rarely seen since the best B-movie of yesteryear. Such deep-fried depravity used to be a guaranteed seat-filler for a certain kind of audience: Drive-ins and grindhouse, but these days, slapped with an NC-17, it seems downright avant-garde. Killer Joe closes with the disco-blues sermon “Strokin’” as Clarence Carter leads listeners in an ecstatic release of raw, rural libidinal energy. It is the perfect punctuation to this exuberant white-trash Gothic. Friedkin and Letts are similarly unapologetic about their noboundaries ride on the raging blue-collar id, and unafraid to play it for both laughs and genuine feeling.The Blu-ray presentation comes with a sharp 1080p transfer and DTS-HD MA 5.1 audio track. both not ground-breaking but very clear and sharp. Since this film was released NC-17 in theaters, the film arrives on Blu-ray in this Unrated Director’s Cut. There is also an R-rated DVD included - for those who need it. The Unrated Director’s Cut features an excellent commentary track from director William Friedkin, highly recommended - he's got The gift of the gab.The rest of the special features are decent but not spectacular. There is a featurette called “Southern Fried Hospitality: From Stage to Screen”, takes us through from the beginning. Besides that there is some footage from SXSW including a Q&A with Cast and an intro by William Friedkin. Also features a "white trash" Red Band trailer. Great English subtitles, too.

I am confused how this was not rated as a comedy, as it was a fairly light-hearted fun film. For those non-Texans, phooey on ya'll if ya don't think this is how life down yonder really is. Loved the accuracy, and the personalities were spot on! Fab directing for sure! One wholesome film the entire family can enjoy together after church, especially if ya'll enjoyin some fried chicken with all the fixins.

Not only do I find it appalling that this movie actually got made; I find it appalling that MM and Lowel from Wings agreed to do it!!!! Was this movie written, directed and produced by sexual predators in prison? It's sick. THat scene where MM beats up the woman and her face is very bloody and then he takes the chicken and forces her simulate something I'm not even going to type here -- what were any of these people thinking? How as a man can either of these two male actors have any sense of dignity after shooting that scene? The same for the actress quite frankly. WOmen HAVE GOT TO STOP ALLOWING THEMSELVES TO BE TREATED LIKE DIRT AS ACTRESSES. I don't know what else to say except this film has NO redeeming quality to justify the sickness and all the female nudity; but I'll say there is no redeeming factor which could possibly exist which would do so! Just awful. I have always loved these two actors and their movies, but I just lost a good deal of respect for Lowell and MM. Disgusting. We all have seen really good movies or just good movies which we wish a scene or two didn't exist and it kind of ruined it for us. This is not one of those movies. It's just bad in addition to being gross and archeic in nature.

William Friedkin is a director people either love or hate. Interestingly, ambiguity in human nature is the theme most often explored in his films. This film is populated with few, if any likeable characters. Though they are interesting! Much has been said about Matthew McConaughey's performance, and indeed it is noteworthy. Much better than his overrated Magic Mike. I particularly like Emile Hirsch as the dim wit that hatches a convoluted plan to kill his mother. There are also good performances from the rest of the cast. There's a certain surrealism to Killer Joe. You watch most of the movie in disbelief. Is this for real? The seedy locale-supposedly Dallas (the movie was shot in New Orleans) is perfect. I dare say they couldn't have picked more suitable locations to support the dilapidated world these people live. Shot beautifully, and edited with a pace that reminds you that Friedkin is the same man that gave us two near perfect films (The French Connection. and The Exorcist) Both still stand after 40 years. I don't think this effort reaches that level of excellence, but it is apparent that you are watching the work of one of the most underestimated directors ever. Friedkin has never gotten his due. Killer Joe proves he is still able to deliver a visceral, exciting, and original movie experience. Check out some of his other films: To Live and Die in LA, Rampage, Cruising, Sorcerer, Bug, and of course the aforementioned French Connection and Exorcist. All explore the duality of man and make for compelling viewing. As a viewer of a Friedkin film you are never quite sure where the characters stand, or how you feel about them, and there are no tidy answers. You are usually left with more questions. Not typical hollywood fluff. When he came to prominence as a filmmaker, movies that provoked thought were popular. He hasn't waivered as a filmmaker-the taste of the audience has! Killer joe definitely provokes,and jolts-like a double shot of red bull. Warning: this film has some scenes of intense violence. I had to look away twice, but wasn't distracted. It seemed relevant, and indicative of just how depraved a world these characters live. The film is funny and repellent at the same time. Definitely worth a watch!

Piccolo spacciatore texano, Chris Smith è indebitato fino al collo col temibile fornitore Digger Soames. Accortosi che la madre con la quale abita e con cui litiga continuamente gli trafuga delle dosi di cocaina, Chris si reca dal padre Ansel proponendogli di accopparla per intascare il premio della sua assicurazione sulla vita: oltre a saldare il debito, i soldi della polizza serviranno a garantire il futuro della sorella minore Dottie che vive insieme ad Ansel e alla sua attuale compagna Sharla. Esecutore designato per l’eliminazione è Joe Cooper, detective del dipartimento di polizia di Dallas che arrotonda lo stipendio con prestazioni da killer e che, messi gli occhi sulla virginale Dottie, la esige come caparra nell’eventualità che qualcosa vada storto.

Item as described and shipped quickly.

When will movies stop showing violence against women and children! This is definitely NOT entertaining!

Película de género sin concesiones. Increíble que no se estrenara en salas comerciales ,que demuestra queWilliam Friedkin sigue siendo un gran director. Reparto es estado de gracia.Recomendada para los amantes del buen cine y en especial de las pequeñas joyas perdidas.

Killer Joe is directed by William Friedkin and adapted to screenplay by Tracy Letts from his own play of the same name. It stars Matthew McConaughey, Emile Hirsch, Juno Temple, Thomas Haden Church and Gina Gershon. Music is scored by Tyler Bates and cinematography by Caleb Deschanel. Plot finds Hirsch as Chris Smith, who because he is in severe debt to local thugs, hatches a plan to bump off his waster of a mother and claim the life insurance. Roping in the rest of his trailer dwelling family, he hires Killer Joe (McConaughey), a cop with a sideline in murder, but the Smith's have no idea just what price they will have to pay for his services.So pulpy, so amusingly dark, Killer Joe is one of those films that will sit at the top of many film fan's best of lists for 2012. Yet if someone came up to me and declared it one of the worst then I certainly will understand. Undeniably it has no widespread appeal, you either get it or you don't, you will either laugh along with Friedkin and his dark observations or you will feel the whole thing is just too ugly to be entertainment. Man it's good to have Friedkin back pushing peoples buttons!Filmed in Texas in under three weeks, Killer Joe is a film that walks the fine line of misogyny and perversity for perversity's sake. But it never falls over that mark, even though these are scummy characters living in a scummy world, where there's sex and violence, and violent simulated sex and nudity; all of which is cloaked by a sweaty crime gone wrong caper. Much of the film is dialogue driven, rest assured this is very talky, but the director wrings out much tension and salaciousness from every character interaction, the slow-burn approach only heightening the sense of dread. When the finale comes, and it's a cracker-jack ending, there's an almost merciful release that it's all over. These are people you wouldn't want to hang out with ever, only there's Friedkin chuckling away to himself having made us spend an hour and forty minutes with this grime laden crew. If you feel like you need a bath afterwards, that's perfectly natural.Friedkin has garnered terrific performances from a top line cast. Hirsch (powder-keg), Church (naievity extraordinaire), Temple (virginal piggy in the middle) and Gershon (bold and suspicious), are all giving disturbing credibility to the material, but as good as they are they are trumped considerably by McConaughey. One of the most frustrating actors working today, much like Cage, a ream of poor movies adorn his CV, but once in a while he throws in a performance of such genuine quality that it begs to be acknowledged by his peers. Here as Killer Joe he lays on a Faust like menace, delivering his lines with clinically calm precision, yet still there's a glint in his eye, we know a black heart beats there but he can charm a snake out of its basket, a girl out of her underwear......Unflinching direction, bravura performances and neo-noir at its near best, one of the best films of 2012 so far. Well, to some of us at least.... 9/10