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Killer Joe

Play trailer Poster for Killer Joe TV-MA 2011 1h 41m Crime Drama Mystery & Thriller Play Trailer Watchlist
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80% Tomatometer 169 Reviews 61% Popcornmeter 50,000+ Ratings
A cop (Matthew McConaughey) who moonlights as a hit man agrees to kill the hated mother of a desperate drug dealer (Emile Hirsch) in exchange for a tumble with the young man's virginal sister (Juno Temple).
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Killer Joe

Killer Joe

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Critics Consensus

Violent, darkly comic, and full of strong performances, Killer Joe proves William Friedkin hasn't lost his touch, even if the plot may be too lurid for some.

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Critics Reviews

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Tom Long Detroit News Aug 31, 2012
B
If you like your movies filled with twisted humor, sexual perversion, psychological intimidation and sudden violence, "Killer Joe" is the flick for you. Go to Full Review Joe Williams St. Louis Post-Dispatch Aug 24, 2012
2.5/4
Watching "Killer Joe" to the bitter end is like playing the Pick 6 lottery and getting three of the numbers right. You don't win anything, but you still think you're smarter than all those other idiots. Go to Full Review Bill Goodykoontz Arizona Republic Aug 23, 2012
4/5
[Friedkin] has retained his touch ... all these years later. And in Matthew McConaughey, he has the perfect vehicle for madness. Go to Full Review Sean Axmaker Stream on Demand Jun 9, 2026
It’s brutal, violent, and at times savagely funny, a portrait of depraved lives so far over the edge of moral equilibrium they seem to have slipped into their own universe. Go to Full Review Brian Eggert Deep Focus Review Oct 3, 2022
4/4
In Killer Joe, director William Friedkin reaches magnificent new lows as he descends into playwright Tracy Letts' world of southern-fried depravity, stupidity, sexuality, and possibly (almost certainly) madness. Go to Full Review Mitchell Beaupre Paste Magazine Sep 23, 2022
8.5/10
Killer Joe is pitched squarely as a rotted black comedy of errors, a cavalcade of one disaster after another from a bunch of fools tripping over themselves in the pursuit of the one thing that drives America: Greed Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Robert P @Superbad 1 day ago Killer Joe is a *3.5* star Movie! See more Jack G @jackshonest 3 days ago Not good. Weird movie See more Critic S @RT08743365 3 days ago Avoid Killer Joe, because once you see it, you can never unsee it!! Director William Friedkin is raping the audience's mind with this perversion of a film. Friedkin is a great director, but this production was as if he was attempting to create the closest film to a porno/suspense film without getting an "X" rating. I will never understand why Matthew McConaughey and Haden Church signed on to do this travesty of a film. Unsuspecting theater-release fans of Friedkin's, McConaughey's, and Church's previous works I definitely and strongly advise to avoid Killer Joe!! See more Zoe O @Bizkit 6 days ago Not for everybody. 🫣 See more Ryan T @RT91888008 Oct 12, 2026 Pretty terrible ending for what the idea of the story was meant to be, but it's not a terrible movie in all. Won't watch again but worth a watch. See more michael C @MichaelC2 Sep 30, 2026 Was really good. Good thriller. See more Read all reviews
Killer Joe

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Cast & Crew

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William Friedkin

Director

Matthew McConaughey

"Killer" Joe Cooper

Emile Hirsch

Chris Smith

Juno Temple

Dottie Smith

Gina Gershon

Sharla Smith

Thomas Haden Church

Ansel Smith

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Killer Joe

Killer Joe (2011) Killer Joe (2011) Killer Joe (2011) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis A cop (Matthew McConaughey) who moonlights as a hit man agrees to kill the hated mother of a desperate drug dealer (Emile Hirsch) in exchange for a tumble with the young man's virginal sister (Juno Temple).
Director
William Friedkin
Producer
Nicolas Chartier, Scott Einbinder
Screenwriter
Tracy Letts
Production Co
Voltage Pictures, Ana Media
Rating
TV-MA, R (Graphic Nudity|Drug Use|Strong Disturbing Violence|Language|Sexuality)
Genre
Crime, Drama, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language
English
Release Date (Streaming)
Feb 3, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA)
$2.0M
Runtime
1h 41m
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