Killer Joe

William Friedkin's latest flick is finger-licking so-so

Director William Friedkin has returned once again, however, this time, he's dressed in Tracy Letts' stage gown.

Based on Letts' eponymous play, Friedkin and his recent collaborator (Bug, 2006), deliver another whirlwind of big and bold characters clashing within a small environment.

To say Friedkin has returned to the heights of The Exorcist or The French Connection would be unfair. It'd be nice to see a glimmer of it, though.

The film is solid, in that it's clearly pushing the audience to squirm and detest the very minimal characters it manages to retain. Wide-released NC-17 films are few and far between and, in one particular scene near the end, Friedkin justifies the rating.

It's a shame the director couldn't levitate this explosion of a genre picture into something more. Once you see Matthew McConaughey interact with a piece of fried chicken, you certainly understand the depth of this film.

UA DeVargas, NC-17, 102 min.

Letters to the Editor

Mail letters to PO Box 4910 Santa Fe, NM 87502 or email them to editor[at]sfreporter.com. Letters (no more than 200 words) should refer to specific articles in the Reporter. Letters will be edited for space and clarity.

We also welcome you to follow SFR on social media (on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter) and comment there. You can also email specific staff members from our contact page.