Killer Joe (film)
| Killer Joe | |
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Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | William Friedkin |
| Produced by |
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| Screenplay by | Tracy Letts |
| Based on |
Killer Joe by Tracy Letts |
| Starring | |
| Music by | Tyler Bates |
| Cinematography | Caleb Deschanel |
| Edited by | Darrin Navarro |
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Production
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| Distributed by | LD Entertainment |
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Release date
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Running time
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102 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $10 million |
| Box office | $3.7 million |
Killer Joe is a 2011 American Southern Gothiccrime film directed by William Friedkin. The screenplay by Tracy Letts is based on his 1993 play of the same name. The film stars Matthew McConaughey in the title role, Emile Hirsch, Juno Temple, Gina Gershon, and Thomas Haden Church. Friedkin and Letts had similarly collaborated on the 2006 film Bug.
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 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 younger 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 detective who has a side career as a contract killer, 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.
The plan almost fails when Joe demands all of the money in advance, which of course Chris nor Ansel have. However, Joe is interested in the odd, childlike Dottie and offers to take her as a "retainer" until the insurance comes through. Through Dottie's interaction with Joe, it is revealed that Adele tried to kill Dottie once when she was an infant. Joe "dates" Dottie and then appears to be staying over at their home and having sex with her regularly. Chris has a change of heart and asks him to call off the hit, only to discover that Joe has already killed Adele. With Chris' reluctant help, Joe hides the body in a car and torches it.
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