After
watching "Killer Joe" I didn't know whether to be aroused, appalled,
or ashamed. I guess in a perfect world,
you could be all three...but that's just sick.
Seriously, the film gives a whole new added benefit for the fried
chicken leg—and it has nothing to do with consumption. So, what kind of movie is Killer Joe? It's the kind of movie that you don't openly
express that you've actually seen, but if you hear someone talking about it,
you have to jump into the conversation out of sheer curiosity. It borders on raunchy, sleazy, humorous,
erotic, ridiculous and down-right
wrong.
"You ever seen symbols like that before? Apparently, they're called 'words'."
WARNING!
SPOILERS: Full scenes are
discussed below, because...they just had to be, sorry.
Endings and plot spoilers are withheld. Read on at your own risk.
STORY:
Whacked-out
Chris Smith (Emile Hirsch) owes some powerful men six grand. Instead of working for it, he decides the
best way to obtain the money, is to have his mother killed and use the life
insurance policy to pay off his debts.
Enter…Killer Joe Cooper
(Matthew McConaughey) who will do the deed for payment. Since Chris doesn't have the money up front,
he offers up his innocent, naive sister Dottie (Juno Temple) as a
retainer. Bat-sh*t crazy, trailer-park
trash stupidity ensues.
Hey, at least he's not texting too.
THOUGHTS:
I
don't even know where to begin. So...let’s start at the opening:
The
opening scene has Chris banging on a trailer door in the middle of the
night. After a few minutes, his
step-mother answers in just a t-shirt giving Chris and the audience a
face-full-of-bush. The upside? It's Gina
Gershon's bush. The downside? It's more
unkempt than the Amazon. I wouldn't be
surprised that if and when she does trim the hedges, they find a few new
species of mammal in there. Chris does
ask her what she's doing answering the door like that, to which she simply replies:
"Well, I didn't know who it
was." Wow—and if you think
that's the line they won't cross, you'd be wrong. Dead wrong.
Once the face-full-of-bush line is laid on the concrete, the film pulls
out a jackhammer and obliterates it until there's nothing left, but bits and
pieces of good morals.
Gina Gershon called, she wants her bush trimmers back.
The
Smiths are the epitome of sleaze: there’s Chris, the degenerate scumbag that loves
his little sister, but sees nothing wrong with killing his mother.
Ansel
Smith (Thomas Haden Church), Chris' simple father, who goes along with
anything, just make sure he has a beer in the fridge and a monster truck rally
on the TV.
Sharla
Smith (Gina Gershon), Chris' step-mother/town whore, who also sees nothing
wrong with offing the mother, as long as she gets 1/4 of the insurance money.
Dottie
Smith (Juno Temple) who plays naive, but seems to know more of what's going on
than most of these idiots. Oh, and she
really likes Kung-Fu.
Killer
Joe (McConaughey) who isn't officially part of the Smiths, but would like to
be, and he's also a police detective/hit man.
"Crap. I forgot how to walk again."
The
hardest part of the film is rooting for someone. You really don't know whose side to take
here. The closest you can come is the
younger sister Dottie, but even she makes some questionable decisions. So, good luck.
ACTING:
Emile
Hirsch is the only weak link in the movie.
He seems to be having a fun time with the character, but emotionally his
acting isn't there. But, if Emile's
sloppy acting weighs down the film, then it's lifted right back up by everyone
else. Church, Gershon, Temple, and
especially McConaughey are excellent in all the roles. As much as some of the scenes make your skin
crawl between Temple and McConaughey, they both put every ounce of effort into
even the most subtle parts.
"Oh, whisper it again...slowly." K...F...C...
GOOFY/BIZARRE
SCENES:
There
are some scenes in this movie that once you see them, they'll become a stain on
the wall of your brain. Not bleach or
even acid will rinse these moving pictures from your mind. There are plenty of other over the top
shenanigans going on, but these two scenes...well, read below:
NAKED
KUNG FU:
Chris
falls asleep on the sofa and thinks he's dreaming when his sister comes out in
the middle of the night, and decides to Kung-Fu kick the air, bare-ass naked. And absolutely nothing is held back: Full-female
frontals are a dime-a-dozen in this movie, so expect to see everything. The scene makes no sense whatsoever, has nothing
to do with plot, but made me crack up laughing.
The expression Temple has on her face while doing the kick is priceless,
and then she simply turns around and stomps away. (Hilarious to a very sick mind)
"I wanna watch Kung-Fu Panda! Kung-Fu Panda! I don't like the new Karate Kid."
CHICKEN
LEG FELLATIO:
The
honor of this scene goes to Gina Gershon.
She just received a nose crushing fist to the face, turning her entire
facade purple with blood dripping everywhere.
Then she gets on her knees and well...you know. I'm still trying
to wrap my head around the kind of person who thinks up a scene like this
one. Not to mention McConaughey's
actions while it's taking place. (Excuse
me a second—I have to go wash out my eyeballs and then head to Confession.) The one question I have is: What the hell was
Gershon thinking while reading the script?
Did she read the scene and think, "Man, this is Oscar material right here." Or did they spring this crap on her? Either way, she deserves some kind of award,
and if there's none to give, then they need to create one...period.
"Me and you are going to do such naughty things together."
If
you’re at all wondering whether this film is, or is not intended for small
children—what the hell have you been reading? The frigging answer seems clear to me. Now, if you’re are still wondering, then go
ahead and check yourself into a mental institution, because something is wrong
and it's going to take all of the world’s doctors to figure that crap out.
"If it makes you feel any better. I'd do the scene if they asked me...but they're not asking me. You see?"
Killer
Joe is a film that once seen, can't be unseen.
The actions, dialogue, and filth will attach itself to your mind until
you die. Even then, it might pass itself
off to your children. You will be
disgusted, appalled, but also laughing, and possibly aroused if a bucket of
chicken is your thing. Either way,
Killer Joe is a film that shouldn't be missed if you like controversial scenes
and outlandish plots.
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