Joe

Starring: Nicolas Cage, Tye Sheridan, Gary Poulter, Ronnie Gene Blevins, Adriene Mishler, Sue Rock
Directed by: David Gordon Green
Rating: R
Genre: Drama
2014

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: An ex-con (Nicolas Cage) with an unhealthy disregard for authority mentors a young boy (Tye Sheridan) dealing with family drama.

Review:

Tim: Director David Gordon Green has been responsible for some great movies (like Pineapple Express) and some terrible movies (like Your Highness). Joe is a bit of a departure from what he's done lately, but it is a welcome departure. This quietly powerful movie is a very effective drama and a movie that's hard to shake. It's the kind of film that sneaks up on you and you'll find yourself thinking about long after the credits roll. I really, really enjoyed this movie.

Perhaps the biggest achievement of Green here is somehow getting Nicolas Cage to turn in a remarkable performance. The guy is a great actor- he has an Academy Award for Best Actor to prove it. Inexplicably, he's been turning in weak performances in terrible movies for a long, long time. Whatever it was about this film, though, Cage delivers the caliber of performance he's capable of delivering. Cage turns Joe into this fascinating dichotomy. He's a kind, loyal, hardworking man who has made mistakes in his life but is trying to atone for them. He befriends and cares about the kind of people much of society turns a blind eye towards. He's a good man and someone respectable. And yet, there's this other side to him- the rampant disregard for authority, the anger, the drinking, the rage that seems to overtake him at various points. Cage plays both sides brilliantly, turning in this remarkable performance that few other actors could have pulled off as wonderfully as he did. A big reason I loved this movie is because this is the kind of performance Cage should be turning in every single time.

Cage has some real help. I'm so, so impressed with young Tye Sheridan. He gave an excellent performance in the very similar Mud, which was only his second film. Here, in his third movie, he delivers another surprisingly solid performance. It's so hard for me to pinpoint why Sheridan works so well on screen. He's growing up and is in a bit of an awkward phase, but he ushers that into his character. The scenes where he outwardly shows anger are stunning in his ability to flip a switch and become this different person. Sheridan, if he keeps making good choices in roles, could be one of the greats some day. He was exceptional in the film.

I also want to highlight Gary Poulter. I can't say enough about Poulter's performance here. What is so stunning is that Poulter isn't an actor- he was a homeless man Gordon cast in this role. Poulter gives this beautifully haunting, authentic portrayal of a lost soul. The hardness of living on the streets allows him to deliver this chilling, unforgivable performance. Even now, if I close my eyes, I can picture him in this movie and I get a little chill. Poulter shows us the ugly side of humanity, what a man can become when he routinely makes the wrong choices. It's an unfathomably ugly portrayal of a father and husband, but Poulter's performance of it is beautiful in its rawness and honesty. Sadly, Poulter died on the streets a short time after filming this movie. He acted in one film in his entire life, yet I won't ever forget that portrayal.

Joe isn't an easy movie to watch. It revels in the darker side of life and yet it's not a hopeless movie. It's one that is filled with hope because its broken, flawed characters are trying to scrape together a better life. It's a story of decisions and the consequences that come from making the wrong ones. It's a story about life, friendship, and how we influence those we interact with. When I saw Cage was in this film, I admit my skepticism increased immediately. I encourage you to see past that go into Joe with an open mind. This is one of the best films of 2014.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 8



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Mud