7/26/2011

New clip from Killer Joe, starring Matthew McConaughey


Have we seen the turning of the corner in Matthew McConaughey's career? The hunky actor has mostly squandered the good critical vibes he earned early in his career by taking on roles that required him to have shirt off more than on, usually opposite whatever mediocre actress needed a quick rom-com dance partner. He appears to be moving in a different direction now, with this year's The Lincoln Lawyer reminding people just how good of an actor he can be when tested. Audiences seemed to love it, and the film turned into a modest hit. Now McConaughey is doing something even more out there for him, starring as a hitman in Killer Joe.


The film is directed by William Friedkin, based on the first stage play by Tracy Letts. Friedkin must be truly in love with Letts' work right now, as his 2006 film Bug was also based on one of Letts' plays. Killer Joe sees McConaughey as a contract killer who agrees to take out the mother of a pair of siblings(Emile Hirsch and Juno Temple) for a cut of the life insurance money. It gets darker and more disturbing than that, as ThePlaylist also notes that Temple's character will serve as "sexual collateral" for Joe until the money rolls in. Yikes. Thomas Haden Church and Gina Gershon co-star. This looks a film to keep a note of, although no firm release date has been nailed down. Check out this 1st clip from Killer Joe below...