Today, VVS Films is releasing Killer Joe on Blu-ray & DVD.  The dark crime story follows Chris (Emile Hirsch), a man who owes money and hires the twisted “Killer” Joe Cooper (Matthew McConaughey) to kill his mother and cash in on her life insurance.  But when the hit man takes Chris’s naive younger sister Dottie (Juno Temple) as collateral, everything suddenly becomes even more bizarre than it already is, involving their father (Thomas Haden Church) and stepmother (Gina Gershon).

Directed by William Friedkin, this is a film where the title character has a true dark side, and the central family is too stupid for their own good, as the story by playwright Tracy Letts grows increasingly more shocking as it goes along.  The disturbing content and lurid violence that permeates the film certainly won’t be for everyone, but Killer Joe is still a darkly stylistic slow burn thriller that features a strong ensemble cast and a startlingly good performance from Matthew McConaughey in the title role.

The Blu-ray includes a look behind the scenes as well as interviews with the cast and crew.

Killer Joe is 102 minutes and rated 18A.

-John C.