Synopsis
A cop who moonlights as a hit man agrees to kill the hated mother of a desperate drug dealer in exchange for a tumble with the young man's virginal sister.
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Cast
- Matthew McConaugheyDet. Joe 'Killer Joe' Cooper
- Emile HirschChris Smith
- Thomas Haden ChurchAnsel Smith
- Gina GershonSharla Smith
- Juno TempleDottie Smith
- Marc Macaulay'Digger' Soames
- Gralen Bryant BanksPizza Patron
- Carol SuttonSaleslady
- Danny EpperG-Man
- Jeff GalpinBiker Thug
Recommendations
- 100
Time Out
It's McConaughey who is the real revelation: All Grim Reaper strut and cutthroat stare, he savors each of Letts's vividly ghoulish lines. - 83
The Playlist
It won't change the face of cinema history, and it won't win any awards (it's too downright dirty for that), but it's furiously entertaining, and a very strong piece of drama from a director who hasn't much luck in the last thirty-odd years. - 80
The Hollywood Reporter
A likeably unpleasant slice of adults-only Texas noir, which aims at the funnybone as much as the jugular. - 80
Total Film
Friedkin's unflinching trailer-park noir features ugly characters, game performances, degradation and the obscene abuse of a chicken drumstick. Highly recommended, then. - 80
Time
McConaughey's fans might be shocked to see him in this role - more likely, they'd skip the opportunity - but they ought to give his performance a shot. The dimpled demon lover proves he can be just as seductive playing Texas's creepiest, craziest cop. - 75
Slant Magazine
It thrills in seeing dumb people getting their due in hyper-stylized displays of violence, and yet it never feels contemptuous of them. - 70
Variety
The family that slays together pays together in Killer Joe, a nasty little Texas noir that transfers Tracy Letts' 1993 play from page to screen with generally gripping results before devolving into an over-the-top splatterfest. - 60
Empire
Family dysfunction to make Jeremy Kyle blush, but thanks to McConaughey's oily power and Friedkin's unflinching purpose it's a compelling beast.
