Killer Joe
2012
***½
Director: William Friedkin
Cast: Matthew McConaughey, Emile Hirsch, Juno Temple, Gina Gershon, Thomas Haden Church, Marc Macaulay
Chris, a drug-dealing loser who owes money to the wrong people, conspires with his father to hire a dirty cop to kill his mother so he can collect her \$50,000 life insurance policy. However, Killer Joe demands payment in advance or, alternatively, Chris' baby doll sister Dottie as a retainer. This dark comedy from Tracy Letts's stage play presents people rarely seen on screen. The family Smith are the worst kind of trailer trash scum: incredibly stupid, utterly despicable but curiously entertaining to watch. Ironically, the only intelligent person in this scenario is the suave and menacing contract killer, wonderfully played by Matthew McConaughey in his first memorable role in years. Friedkin is skillful at building tension, which inevitably and somewhat disappointingly erupts into full-fledged violence.
