Killer Joe

2011
NC-17
1h 42m

IMDb RATING

6.7/10

85K

YOUR RATING

POPULARITY

Play trailer2:28

Dark Comedy Crime Drama Thriller

When a debt puts a young man's life in danger, he turns to putting a hit out on his evil mother in order to collect the insurance.When a debt puts a young man's life in danger, he turns to putting a hit out on his evil mother in order to collect the insurance.When a debt puts a young man's life in danger, he turns to putting a hit out on his evil mother in order to collect the insurance.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

6.7/10

85K

YOUR RATING

POPULARITY

4,064

229

See production info at IMDbPro

Awards
- 9 wins & 21 nominations

Photos144

+ 138

Top cast19

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Matthew McConaughey

Killer Joe Cooper

Emile Hirsch

Chris Smith

Juno Temple

Dottie Smith

Thomas Haden Church

Ansel Smith

Gina Gershon

Sharla Smith

Marc Macaulay

Digger Soames

Gralen Bryant Banks

Pizza Patron
(as Graylen Banks)

Carol Sutton

Saleslady

Danny Epper

G-Man

Jeff Galpin

Biker Thug

Scott A. Martin

Pizza Manager
(as Scott Martin)

Gregory C. Bauchard

Filpatrick

Charley Vance

Preacher

Julia Adams

Adele
(uncredited)

Geraldine Glenn

Pizza Patron
(uncredited)

Sean O'Hara

Rex
(uncredited)

Blain Sanchez

Prisoner
(uncredited)

Tony Severio

Pizza Patron
(uncredited)

Storyline

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Did you know

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Trivia
Gina Gershon had been originally offered the role of Sharla almost 20 years previously when the script was for a play, but she turned it down because she could not imagine performing the infamous chicken-leg scene "eight times a week" on stage.

Goofs
After Joe lights the fire to burn up the car we see in the next shot a set of pipes added to the undercarriage of the car to aid and/or assist with the stunt car fire and/or extinguishing of the fire.

Quotes
Killer Joe Cooper: Tuna casserole! May I serve?
Dottie Smith: How are you gonna kill my mama?
Killer Joe Cooper: That's not appropriate dinner conversation, Dottie.
Dottie Smith: Unless you poison her.

Crazy credits
The unrated DVD retains the MPAA's NC-17 graphic at the end, although the rating was surrendered.

Alternate versions
The USA/Canada DVD is available in two versions, one the original NC-17 rated version (labeled as Unrated) and the other an R-Rated version. The R-Rated version has the following cuts:
1:25:27 (10.5 sec. cut) Sharla starts sucking at the chicken leg. Joe moans "Easy...easy."
1:25:42 (5.5 sec. cut) A cut to Carla, who is still sucking the chicken leg, is missing. The R-Rated shows the shot of Joe without interruption, lengthening it insignificantly.
1:25:49 (2.5 sec. cut) Joe asks Ansel in this shot "What do you think?". The R-Rated Version features the question from the off in the following shot of Ansel.
1:26:03 (Alternate Shot) The R-Rated shows Joe talking in a longer shot of himself and then an alternative shot of Ansel sitting down on the bench. The original features two shots from further away showing Sharla during her forced blow job. The Unrated Version runs a bit longer.
1:26:34 (11 sec. cut) The shot of Ansel can be seen a moment longer. Joe then asks twice: "Reach around and grab my ass!". Sharla obeys.
1:26:56 (Alternate Shot (No time difference)) The R-Rated Version mainly shows the shot of Joe longer and the alternative shot of Ansel before the shot from further away can be seen for a short time. The latter can be seen the whole time in the Unrated Version.
1:27:20 (Alternate Shot) The R-Rated Version shows the previous and following shots of Joe longer/earlier, whereas the Unrated cuts to a close-up of Sharla complying with Joe's demands and starting to moan.
1:37:30 (1 sec. cut) The shot starts a bit earlier with an additional (first) blow of the can against Chris' head.
1:37:33 (1.5 sec.) Another blow is missing.
1:37:41 (4.5 sec.) Joe beats Chris with the can three more times against the head and in the face, Chris spits out blood. Additional shot of Dottie screaming "Oh God!".
1:42:47 (No time difference) The MPAA overlays at the end differ display the different rating for the two versions.

Connections
Featured in The Big Review: Summer Trailer Park Series (2012)

Soundtracks
Swamp Fox
Written by Rick Miller
Performed by Southern Culture on the Skids

User reviews335

Review

Featured review

7/10

sensationally good start

I don't know why I didn't enjoy this more than I did. It seems to have all the right ingredients for a down and dirty post noir with fine performances all round and Friedkin's steady directorial hand. Actually for the most part I was engaged, even if the central premise regarding the life insurance is a little corny and the family just a little too cliché trailer trash. It is tough and it is amusing but as things proceed and begin to get a little silly it is the central performance of Matthew McConaughey, cooling pulling on and off his black leather gloves and giving his stare, that holds this together and hold you in its grip. Towards the end, things change and I can only assume this is the 'fault' of the original stage play, where the high drama might have worked better, within the film it jars and spoils the torrid but believable situation that has developed. There is little development of the characters, which is fine, but when we are asked to suddenly see things so differently, as here at the end, that lack of feeling for the characters matters a lot. So the inconclusive end is a bit of a mess, not to mention the chicken scene and in my view tends to spoil what had been a sensationally good start.