Review of Joe (2014) by Alasdair B — 06 Feb 2015

After seeing last year's monstrosity "Left Behind'', I thought there was no hope for Nicholas Cage. The man is a fine actor--an award winning actor I might add--but he just doesn't know when to say "no'' to a film. He'll act in anything. Even if it means he gets tortured by having a bee hive placed on his head and screaming uncontrollably. I'm really relived to say, he is amazing in this. "JOE'' is directed by David Gordon Green, and is based on the novel Joe by Larry Brown. The cast includes Nicholas Cage, and Tye Sheridan (Mud).

Joe (Cage) is a foreman who leads a small group of workers in a backwoods Texas town. They basically go through forests and kill trees within a certain radius of land. A young buy named Gary (Sheridan) and his family are new in town, and they are looking for work. Gary stumbled upon Joe and his work crew, and inquires if he may work on the team. Joe finds himself impressed with this young man, and becomes somewhat of a father figure to him. Both Gary and Joe come from rough pasts and brutal upbringings.

Previously I stated how Nicholas Cage's career has quite unfortunately gone down the drain in recent years. My number one worst film of last year starred him, and I must be frank, he was awful in the movie. His performance was boring and dry in that film. In this one, he is absolutely captivating. It's like he's awoken from this stoned state of not even trying, to absolute subtle intensity. He did such a great job honing in his rage, and when he explodes it's not over the top craziness, it's a controllable madness. He's so captivating in this movie. It'd be easy to overlook Tye Sheridan, but this kid is really great. His performance is pretty great. I will say this; he gives a very familiar performance. I don't want to say its the same performance he gave in "Mud', but his character is very similar.

First of all I want to talk about the film's similarities to "Mud''. Allot of people have compared it to that film, and understandably so. It's very similar in story. A young boy with family issues is taken under the wing of a man who becomes a type of father figure. The difference is, this is like a more intense version of "Mud''. "Mud'' is like a Huckleberry Finn type of story with a slight edge to it. "Joe'' is much darker, much grittier, and much more disturbing. That being said, more people will enjoy "Mud'' rather than this film. However, that doesn't mean this isn't a good film. If you can get into that is.

The movie sort of starts out a bit slow. You don't really know much about what's going on under the surface. As the film progresses, you become more inc=vested in the characters and the story. It's a really simple movie. It's not a complicated thriller, but it does get very tense. You don't know what's up with Joe. He's very controlled. Then he starts having outbursts of rage and you really get a sense of, "okay, this guy's got allot going on under the surface''. It's somewhat touching how he brings this beat up kid under his wing and does the things his drunken father never did for him. Gary really has to step up and do the things his joke of a father wont do. There is a certain understanding between Joe and Gary. They both share rough pasts, and you end up caring for their friendship allot.

From a technical level, the film is really well made. I can't think of many flaws or problems I had with the film. It does get slow at times. Mostly during the first twenty or thirty minutes. But once things get going you become immersed. The cinematography by Tim Orr (Pineapple Express) is really gritty, and gives the film a more realistic feel by using allot of hand held camera shots. The editing is sharp and flowing, the script is pretty good, and the direction is very sharp.

"JOE'' is a fantastic drama about two people developing a deep friendship because they shared similar experiences. Nicholas Cage gives a riveting performance, and Tye Sheridan proves once again that he is a very talented young actor. The film is laced with tension from almost beginning to end. It's simple, it's moving, it's brutally unsettling, and leaves you feeling like you watched a subtly powerful film. It is subtly powerful.