JOE

JOE is one of those sleeper movies that you see, expecting one thing but getting another in drastic form. It is about an ex-con who has these violent episodes which he seemingly cannot control. Joe played by Nicholas Cage, one of the best actors around I think.

Joe runs a crew of workers who kills trees so the forest can be replanted with healthy seedlings. It sounds like something illegal but not. This is a character driven movie. Everybody in it is somewhat damaged, maybe not the all black crew of workers. There's a mentality of survival which is dark in every way. It is alcohol, smoking, lowlife mentality. Abuse, sex, the base existence to life. 

Joe meets a kid, fifteen, Gary. He begins some redemption. The stark surroundings, the lowlife characters, the bare existence of people who survive makes quite the movie. I don't know why a movie like "Joe" doesn't get more notice. This is a people, an environment that exists in this country. They are the have nots, the survivors, uneducated and unsophisticated but remarkable in a weird way. Joe, especially. 

I originally saw this on a plane but could not quite grasp it. I
immediately watched it again. It is worth your time.