Joe

R

Released Apr 11, 2014

1 hr. 57 min.

Drama

List

86%

137 Reviews

Tomatometer

68%

10,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

The rough-hewn boss (Nicolas Cage) of a lumber crew courts trouble when he steps in to protect the youngest member (Tye Sheridan) of his team from an abusive father.

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Critics Consensus

Rich in atmosphere and anchored by a powerful performance from Nicolas Cage, Joe is a satisfying return to form for its star -- as well as director David Gordon Green.

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Patrick M

Very slow. Not as exciting as normal Nicholas Cage movies. Fair message. Took way to long to get there.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

03/02/24

Full Review

jwcdood

JOE is a hard and bitter movie about genuinely good hearts enduring and attempting to deal with the impossible horror of the long term effects of heart numbing, mind breaking poverty. What's to be expected in this flick is "extremely dark, extremely graphic and hard to watch" (but needs to be). JOE is certainly not for the idealistic who don't personally comprehend the genuine reality of alcohol addiction; the opening scene itself — blatantly — makes that specific point. With excellent casting, production and direction, Nicholas Cage's, Tye Sheridan's and Gary Pouter's performances are the stuff that deliberately "brutal reality" story telling and serious acting and direction are made of in a sincere attempt to get the point across. The sobering, cesspool stench of the reality it portrays very effectively remains long after its final scene and the credits roll. This is entertainment fare is [most definitely] NOT FOR THE "DAINTIFIED" FAINT OF HEART.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

11/26/23

Full Review

Alec B

For a thriller about broken people on the very fringe of society, the plot is just a little too neat and tidy (One character that arrives about twenty minutes into film might as well be wearing a t-shirt that reads "antagonist") but when David Gordon Green shifts the focus away from the plot and just lets these characters exist in their environment, the film becomes mesmerizing for stretches.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

11/10/23

Full Review

Lexe

Joe had great realism and is very believable, with every actor playing there part very well.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

10/23/23

Full Review

Wolfgang G

Joe – Die Rache ist sein, ist ein Filmdrama von David Gordon Green… Ein Ex-Knacki, der im Gegensatz zu den meisten Vorbildern steht, trifft auf einen 15-jährigen Jungen und steht vor der Wahl zwischen Erlösung oder Ruin… Eine rücksichtslose authentische Südstaatengeschichte, die reich an Atmosphäre ist… Ein ziemlich gut inszenierter Coming-of-Age-/Drama-Film, mit einer sehr guten schauspielerischen Leistung von Nicolas Cage (Hauptrolle) und Tye Sheridan (Nebenrolle)...

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

08/23/23

Full Review

Lucy L

David Gordon Green and Nic Cage are both in top form.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

04/24/23

Full Review

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David Gordon Green

Director

Nicolas Cage

Joe

Tye Sheridan

Gary

Gary Poulter

Wade

Ronnie Gene Blevins

Willie-Russell

Sue Rock

Merle

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Jason Bailey

Flavorwire

The way director David Gordon Green uses Cage, and the way the actor modulates the performance, seems a quiet commentary on who he's become onscreen, and how to draw upon it.

Jun 18, 2016

Full Review

Mark Kermode

Observer (UK)

Generally as raw as the steaks that Cage manfully cuts from the carcass of an impaled deer, the high whiff of which seeps through every frame of the film.

Rated: 3/5

Jul 27, 2014

Full Review

Ryan Gilbey

Sight & Sound

There is a pleasing synchronicity between Joe's attempts to stem his temper and the effort made by Cage to keep his own actorly excesses in check.

Jul 25, 2014

Full Review

Keith Garlington

Keith & the Movies

It is southern gothic to the core with an emphasis on the unpleasant and disturbing. It’s not a movie for the faint of heart. But it is an exciting return of sorts for Nicholas Cage...

Rated: 4/5

Aug 22, 2022

Full Review

Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

The film's unforgiving, often grating portrayal of Southern waste is redeemed by thoughtful performances from Nicolas Cage and his younger costar Tye Sheridan.

Rated: 3/4

Aug 15, 2022

Full Review

Kip Mooney

College Movie Review

A story with some power, humor and heart.

Rated: B

Sep 9, 2021

Full Review

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Synopsis

The rough-hewn boss (Nicolas Cage) of a lumber crew courts trouble when he steps in to protect the youngest member (Tye Sheridan) of his team from an abusive father.

Director: David Gordon Green
Executive Producer: Maria Cestone, Molly Conners, Sarah E. Johnson, Hoyt David Morgan, Brad Coolidge, Todd J. Labarowski, Danny McBride, Jody Hill
Screenwriter: Gary Hawkins
Distributor: Roadside Attractions
Production Co: Worldview Entertainment
Rating: R (Language|Disturbing Material|Some Strong Sexual Content|Violence)
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Apr 11, 2014, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Feb 16, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $371.9K

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