Killer Joe

A rough Texas ride where no one has anything to lose. Once Matthew McConaughey starts delivering his lines in full force, this strange family drama kicks into high gear, and it's a shame that the blood, dirt, and slightly bizarre atmosphere become too much towards the very end. With clearer direction, Killer Joe, thanks to its perfect cast, could have aimed for a higher level. (03/04/2013)

The ace up William Friedkin’s sleeve is not the plot but the eccentricity of its characters and what it can lead to. That is, what they’re capable of and how they deal with situations gone wrong in their redneck shortsightedness. An excellent “chicken blowjob” scene. I didn’t hope for anything like this from Matthew McConaughey in the age of A Time to Kill and Amistad. This actor is rising to the stars! And it’s not just him, the entire cast is excellent here. A brutal movie with big balls and a not exactly sound mind. (24/11/2012)

Insanity, and total insanity at that. I absolutely wouldn't dare predict how the whole thing might turn out. It's not a consequence of the "subtlety" and "thoughtfulness" of the story, it's more a consequence of the fact that the behavior of the characters in this film is completely unpredictable, and what may appear to be an overly bizarre solution to the "problem" here (either in physical terms or some kind of reasoning) may be considered one of the alternatives – and even the most "acceptable" alternative. Friedkin bets on the bizarreness of the story right from the beginning – the opening dialogue in the rain lures you in such a way that afterwards you simply devour the whole film like a cherry (though it’s not impossible to vomit some of it up). The ensemble of actors is really great, but Matthew McConaughey towers slightly above the rest. (01/01/2013)

If Quentin Tarantino didn’t exist, Killer Joe would certainly be a concept. But this way, especially in comparison with his similarly tuned conversational films, its underdevelopment and superficiality become clear. Friedkin builds primarily on unreadable characters and their conflicts with each other, but the story has too few unexpected twists and only one memorable scene with cult potential. The biggest positives for me remain Matthew McConaughey, who is charismatic as shit, and I'd quickly turn away with my tail between my legs if I met him on the street, and the overall stylistic execution of form and content, which at times is quite close to Quentin's. (25/07/2016)

William Friedkin is again at the top of his game. Killer Joe is a thriller with a not very original plot, but it compensates that with several pleasantly unexpected twists, an uncompromisingly dirty atmosphere and fantastic performances by most of the people involved. Most of the attention is drawn by the wonderfully sleazy Matthew McConaughey, his Joe will no doubt be one of the best film villains of the year. The other actors are also very good, only Emile Hirsch was a little unconvincing. One of the most pleasant surprises in recent years, thumbs up. Very intense climax. 9/10 (19/10/2012)