This isn't a pleasant film.
"Killer Joe" is an endurance test. The violence, ineptness, and depravity of its characters pushes the limits of enjoyability. Yet there's a great sadness to the film. It's rare for a film to make the grisly just desserts of irredeemable people a tragedy, to turn the audience's cheers into shocked sorrow. But if you can make it through, "Killer Joe" is one of those films.
Chris Smith (Emile Hirsch) is the redneck son of Ansel (Thomas Hayden Church) and an unseen alcoholic mother. Ansel has since divorced his first wife and remarried to Sharla (Gina Gershon), a shallow and mean woman who nonetheless cares for the diamond in their clan, Dottie (Juno Temple). In fact, Dottie is the oasis of innocence amongst them. She's simple-brained, content at home with her stuffed animals and cartoons. Which makes her only more attractive when "Killer" Joe Cooper (Matthew McConaughey) comes knocking to collect the Smith family's moral debts.
There is no protagonist in their drama of comeuppance. Chris, ostensibly the main character, is an irresponsible kid in debt $6,000 to a local criminal. He decides to regain his money by hiring Killer Joe to murder his mother, who is worth a $50,000 life insurance policy. When he can't pay Joe's fees up front, he decides to give Joe access to Dottie. Not that Dottie understands what is happening. It isn't until the film's third act that the overall message of the story is revealed, and when it is, it's not for the faint of heart.
"KIller Joe" started its life as a play, and in some ways should be viewed as one. Characters are larger than their motivations or actions; they are, without much subtlety, symbols of sin and human waste. William Friedkin's direction, particularly in the third act, feels very much like theatre rather than film. In a way, the late-game stylistic change only enhances the terror of the finale.
I cannot stress enough the violent content. Emotion and resolution are expressed almost solely through the use of blunt instruments on brittle bones. A chicken leg and a can of pumpkin preserves are used in ways you've probably never imagined. Although the final act is largely filmed with theatrical sensibilities,the violence shown up close and personal. Like the film's namesake, it holds no quarter.
Probably the biggest draw for "Killer Joe" is McConaughey, playing very against type as the sociopathic hitman / detective. He is, without a doubt, the strongest aspect of the film. As Dottie explains when she first describes him, "His eyes… hurt." McConaughey throws himself into the role. He is the big bad patrol boy, here to teach the Smiths a lesson. To be caught in his gaze is terrible, life-destroying. Joe is the polar opposite of McConaughey's standard. After this, I'm tempted to explore the lesser appreciated depths of his career.
Included on the Blu Ray is an "Unrated Director's Cut," a commentary with director William Friedkin, and the South by Southwest cast Q&A.