Bill C’s Review – 3 out of 5
Joe is a character driven study set in the deep south.
Joe (Nicolas Cage), leads a tree clearing crew. For the most part Joe is a lovable guy who helps everyone but he has anger issues which have gotten him into trouble/jail in the past. He hires and then befriends Gary (Tye Sheridan from The Tree of Life and Mud), a 15 year old with an alcoholic and violent father.
I liked the feel of this movie. The setting in the deep south and the scenes in the woods with the tree clearing crew were great. The interaction between Joe and his crew and the performance of his 2nd in command was excellent. The performances by Cage and Sheridan were also very good. Normally, you’d expect Cage to overact, especially when his anger issues are on display. But he kept things under control. Sheridan was excellent in Mud and he is also excellent here.
There’s a fair amount of tension throughout as Joe has plenty of enemies as well as friends and it’s not clear what path Gary will take. This was worth seeing.
