Joe (2013)

Directed by: David Gordon Green
Country: USA

Movie Review: “Joe”, David Gordon Green’s so much expected feature after the acceptable remake of Icelandic “Either Way” under the title “Prince Avalanche”, is a pungent Southerner drama and thriller, featuring Nicolas Cage, Gary Poulter, and the young Tye Sheridan in the main roles. Joe (Cage) is a problematic lone wolf and ex-con, who decides to hire 15-year-old Gary (Sheridan), for a job that consists in clearing the backwoods by poisoning sick trees in order to make room for more suitable species. Joe naturally becomes Gary’s protector when he realizes the difficulties he has to keep out his mother and dumb sister from the multiple abuses perpetrated by his drunk, slacker, and malicious father (Poulter), known as G-Daawg. Joe also has his own problems, haunted by his past and emotionally smashed by a depressive and often turbulent day-to-day. He’s constantly confronted by the police and stalked by Willie-Russell, a coward but dangerous psycho who’s looking for revenge regarding a past brawl. Gordon Green created tension everywhere through a very personal and commendable direction, enhanced by the somber cinematography by Tim Orr and the truly creepy score by the duo David Wingo/Jeff McIlwain. Nicolas Cage had a fantastic performance as a disreputable man who tries to make the right thing, but for me Gary Poulter exceeded the expectations as the perfect representation of vileness. The taciturn and intriguing “Joe”, shall please both art-house and commercial audiences.