01
Bug
Why this pick
Like Killer Joe, it traps damaged people in a grimy Southern pressure-cooker, escalating from abrasive dark comedy into intensely claustrophobic, confrontational psychological horror.
A FILM WORTH A CLOSER LOOKTHE FEATURE PRESENTATION
MOVIE2011 1h 42m USA
IF THIS ONE STAYED WITH YOU
Movies like
Killer Joe
CrimeDramaThriller
CINEHUNCH / THE NEXT FRAME
Keep the feeling.
SIMILAR PICKS / A PERSONAL CONNECTION
If you loved Killer Joe, try these.
01
02
The Paperboy
Why this pick
Its sweaty Southern Gothic atmosphere, sexual unease and morally grotesque family dynamics echo Killer Joe’s willingness to make desperation feel lurid, funny and deeply uncomfortable.
03
Cold in July
Why this pick
This Texas-set thriller pairs hard-edged violence with increasingly strange criminal entanglements, sustaining the same sweaty, unpredictable neo-noir energy without softening its moral ugliness.
04
Before the Devil Knows You're Dead
Why this pick
A botched family crime plan unravels with ruthless momentum and bitter humor. Its focus on desperate, self-destructive relatives makes an especially strong companion to Killer Joe.
05
Blood Simple
Why this pick
Its Texas noir machinery turns jealousy, money and bad decisions into escalating dread. The Coens’ pitch-black humor and pitiless view of human stupidity fit Killer Joe closely.
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01 / THE STORY
A little about the film.
In West Dallas, Texas, 22-year-old drug dealer Chris Smith comes to the house of his father Ansel and step-mother Sharla, after his mother, Adele, threw him out of her house. To make matters worse, Adele stole his cocaine money and spent it on fixing her car, and now Chris is desperate to pay off his debt to his dealer, Digger Soames, so he decides to murder his mother to collect the $50,000 life insurance of which his 12-year-old sister Dottie is the sole beneficiary. Assuming Dottie would share the money with Chris and their father, Chris manages to rope the dim-witted Ansel into hiring Joe Cooper, a Police officer detective who has a side career as a Hitman, to kill Adele (Ansel's ex-wife) to get the money. Chris and Ansel decide that after paying Joe from the proceeds of the life insurance policy, they will split the remainder four ways between themselves, Dottie, and Ansel's wife Sharla. Dottie hears the plan as they are talking, and agrees that it's a good idea.
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02 / FACES IN THE FRAME
The people who bring it to life.
Matthew McConaughey
Killer Joe Cooper
Emile Hirsch
Chris Smith
Juno Temple
Dottie Smith
Gina Gershon
Sharla
Thomas Haden Church
Ansel
Marc Macaulay
Digger Soames
Gralen Bryant Banks
Pizza Patron
Carol Sutton
Saleslady