Summary
Joe is a hard working ex-con man who forms an unlikely bond with Gary, a 15 year old with an abusive father, and eventually Joe’s past catches up with him.
My Thoughts
I decided I start off this Nicolas Cage series with 'Joe,' a haunting southern tale about a man named Joe (Nicolas Cage, “Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans”) who is a loner macho-man and a dark past. He has since been rehabilitated into society and now runs a comfortable tree removal business, hiring local hands and giving "an honest pay for an honest days work." He's a man of principle, but also one of violence, and one day he hires 15 year old Gary (Tye Sheridan, “Ready Player One”) after the boy explains he and his dad just got into town and are looking for work. Little does Joe know of the relationship he'll form with Gary and his abusive father (Gary Poulter. Side Note: this is Gary’s only credited role. He was cast when he was homeless in Texas. Look up his story, it's an interesting read). This film has one of Nic Cage’s top five performances. 'Joe' is hard proof that this thespian is truly a gifted one, and can offer a subtle and nuanced performance harkening back to his early years. He tones back his eccentrics and allows the character to take full form in this rural, gritty down south yarn with a chilling ending that will haunt viewers long after the credits roll.
Also, same guy directed "Your Highness."
The film starts with a cold open. Gary confrontis his alcoholic father Wade about a bad deed he's committed, and how now someone is going to be looking for him. After Gary insults his father's ego one too many times, Wade knocks him out with a punch and walks away only to get his just desserts from the men who were indeed looking for him. It's a dreary opening but it sets the stage for the rest of the film. David Gordon Green's depiction of backwoods Texas and it’s inhabitants is bleakly gorgeous, much like his debut film 'George Washington' and not at all like his stoner comedy 'Pineapple Express.' This film is drenched in a dread soaked atmosphere, with only the smallest hints of color and hope, but this story does have the message of redemption and themes that touch on the process becoming who one was meant to be.
Joe is a crime drama at its core, with a coming of age story behind it. The drama really unfolds in two separate narratives. First is Joe, who is a fairly secretive man. It's clear he's intelligent and not one to be messed with- kind of like a Steven Segal character, except likable and... intelligent- but he is a Macho Man, albeit a reserved one. He receives the respect of his employees as he respects them. At first I thought there was going to be a sort of white savior element to this, but as the movie progresses you learn it's nothing of the sort (thankfully). In one line, he says to an employee of his after hiring Gary and his dad, "they can be white, black, blue, purple, red, yellow I don't care as long as they want to work." I know some will disagree with me, which is fine, it doesn’t effect the story at all. The tree removal job is just an establishing factor, it doesn't progress the story in any serious way. Joe has a past, and eventually the past comes back to haunt him, as Joe soon finds out. When a slimy convict from a year back, Willie (Ronnie Gene Blevins) comes into town looking for Joe, antagonizing him whenever he can, eventually finding out about the growing camaraderie between Joe and Gary, and plans on using that information, in the extremely dark and disturbing final act.
The other drama unfolds between Gary and his abusive father Wade, who royally screws up his job prospects with Joe by being a real piece of sh*t to everyone and not doing any work. Wade then begins to go into a jealous rage when Joe still let's Gary work, because Gary isn't an alcoholic psychopath, and he beats his son and takes his money whenever he can. Gary Poulter is absolutely terrifying as Wade, bringing real emotion and authenticity to the fiction, and delivering one of the most haunting final lines and moments I've seen in recent movie memory.
While the film delivers on the drama, atmosphere, and performances, it's definitely not a perfect movie, but I do believe the good heavily outweighs the bad, and the worst comes from the writing. There are some character motivations that I don't understand, such as Joe going to the whorehouse, which never really comes back into play. There are easier and better ways to show that our protagonist is also a lonely man. And there's never an excuse for routine animal violence, fictional and non fictional alike, especially between dogs. It makes any character look bad and it's a disgusting action made by our main character, but the blame solely rests on the writer, if the scene can be cut and the story still progresses the same, the scene isn't needed. There's also some questionable plot holes regarding Joe. I get that he's supposed to be mysterious, but at least some insight on his character would be nice rather than a piece of lazily written exposition. But the performances, especially Nicolas Cage and Tye Sheridan help elevate the narrative above it's flaws to create a solid piece of entertainment.
Overall Joe is top notch in terms of Nicolas Cage performances. This showcases the actors talents immensely, leaving mostly (there's a couple moments here) his crazy over the top antics for a much more subtle and immersive performance, bringing to the forefront a man with a past and trying to change for the better, and his unexpected mentorship to Gary helps him along that path. The drama never let's up after the narrative comes into its second act, introducing new villains who become wrapped up in Joe's affairs, taking it out on Gary after an explosive interaction at the bar. Gary Poulter is terrific as Gary's abusive alcoholic father Wade, who will do anything for money, even if it means robbing his own son, committing murder, or even selling his own daughter to the conman antagonist. This film goes into some really dark territory towards the end, and gives it that much more of an edge against other films of the genre. While the ending is disturbing and haunting, it's also filled with hope and redemption for our younger hero, Gary. So while there are some missteps in the writing and some direction execution hiccups, 'Joe' usually is an above par southern yarn, it has plenty of grit and drama, it's a solid character study and the effects of one's past affecting those around you, the performances are top notch and it has one hell of an ending. David Gordon Green may be one of Hollywood's most inconsistent directors, but when he wants to do so, he can make a riveting film.
I give Joe 4 stars out of 5.
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