KILLER JOE / There is an entire list of things I am excited to see about this film. The first is Juno Temple. In the past year, I have grown a fondness for her performances and her exquisite look. I first noticed her in the film Cracks and have been drawn to her ever since. With Killer Joe earning an NC-17 rating, it will be interesting to see how Juno does in a more mature setting.
Billed as the performance of Matthew McConaughey’s career, seeing him take on such a dark role is perfect. Normally, witty and hunky, McConaughey has a chance to play a killer for hire named Joe, the bad guy, who is contacted by Chris (Emile Hersch) to kill his mother. However, without money upfront this isn’t going to happen, so instead Joe decides to take Chris’ sister, Dottie (Juno Temple) as a retainer until Chris can come up with the money. The story sounds familiar, but comes off very original with this cast and the dark, American Psycho-like atmosphere surrounding them.
Lastly, the Academy Award winning director, William Friedkin directs Killer Joe, following a 5 year long hiatus from his last film “Bug”. Most people know Friedkin for his directing on the 1973 horror classic, The Exorcist (winning an Oscar two years prior for The French Connection). If anyone can handle a dark drama like Killer Joe, Friedkin would be an very interesting choice.
Expect To See It: July 27th, 2012
