Killer Joe

For quite a while now, I've believed that Matthew McConaughey is an underrated actor.  Just because someone is in a lot of fluffy crowd-pleasers doesn't mean that they can't act.  I first opened my eyes to McConaughey when I saw Tropic Thunder, and my belief was further reinforced through A Time to Kill.  But it's Killer Joe that really seals the deal.  Here, McConaughey plays "Killer" Joe Cooper, a Texas cop (actually, a detective with the Dallas Police Department) who has a side business: he kills people.  When a young man (Emile Hirsch) needs money to pay off some drug debts, he comes up with a crazy idea: have his mother killed, and collect her life insurance money (which is apparently $50,000).  His white trash family (who probably define white trash) - father, sister, and stepmother - think it's a good idea (the mother is apparently a real bitch), and they hire none other than Killer Joe himself to do the dirty deed.  He demands $25,000 upfront - which can't be paid.  Instead, he takes collateral, in the form of little sister Dottie (who is portrayed as possibly being underage - I really can't tell how old she's supposed to be).  And here lies the point where the feces impact the fan.
The film contains many, many uncomfortable moments (I found myself shifting around in my seat quite often - something which I do not normally do at the movies), and McConaughey's performance sent chills down my spine (the theater I went to, while very, very nice, was also rather warm).  I must say, McConaughey's performance ranks as one of the best that I've ever seen - and I've seen some damn good acting in my life.  While the movie certainly earns its NC-17 rating (it really is NOT for everyone), it really isn't a bad movie at all.  Directed by William Friedkin (best known for The Exorcist and The French Connection back in the 1970s, the latter of which netted him an Oscar for Best Director) and based on a play by Pulitzer Prize winner Tracy Letts, Killer Joe is one of the most chilling, twisted, disturbing films I have ever laid eyes on - and also one of the best.

Rating: 99/100