(2014)
Director: David Gordon Green (IMDB)
Did you know there is a website called One True God with devoted followers who worship Nicolas Cage? If you Google search "One True God" it's the first thing that pops up. I think Nic Cage is a divisive actor, and for me, I fall on the worship side. I love the dude. Raising Arizona, Bad Lieutenant POC, Wild at Heart, Con Air... the list goes on. When I found out he was teaming up with David Gordon Green for a new film, I was a little excited.
Synopsis: Joe (Nicolas Cage) is an ex con who runs a tree killing business. He befriends a young boy (Tye Sheridan) after hiring him and soon finds out about his troubling family life.
Joe is a very solid drama and much better than David Gordon Green's last installment Prince Avalanche, you can read my thoughts on that HERE. The film immediately reminded me of other films, especially Mud, mainly because of the location and Tye. Still, I enjoyed this a little more than Mud and found the relationship between Joe and the boy to be genuine. I loved the use of non actors (especially the boy's father and the manager of Joe's work crew) backed against pros like Cage and Sheridan.
Joe is beautifully shot and the score runs pleasantly within the world created on screen. The film paces itself well and the ending, although a little predictable, was satisfying enough.
Joe is available on VOD now. Give it a go, it's worth it.
