Short Takes
Killer Joe ★★★
Director William Friedkin, who made classics such as The French
Connection and The Exorcist, is back with a violent thriller. Matthew McConaughey plays Detective “Killer” Joe Cooper, a Dallas policeman who moonlights as a hired hit man. He is called in to deal with a treacherous, dysfunctional family. At the head is Ansel (Thomas Haden Church), a sleaze-bag who has a similarly nasty son, Chris (Emile Hirsch), an incompetent drug dealer. His wife, Sharla (Gina Gershon), is also a trashy character. Cooper sees an opportunity with this family of down and outs and treats them as a gang with him as the boss. The catalyst is Juno Temple as the naive Dottie, who falls in with all the amoral people around her. The plot is complex, the dialogue tough, and it is obvious someone in this group is planning to take them all down, in a “winner takes all” move. A strong stomach is needed to watch it to the end.
Die Laaste Tango ★★★
Deon Meyer, one of South Africa’s best writers, has moved into the movie business and Die Laaste Tango is a good effort. At the heart of the story is De Wet (Louw Venter), a dedicated cop living on the edge. He has been hunting a serial killer (Stian Bam) whose victims are young women. He finally captures the killer, but in the process almost beats him to death. His bosses send him to Loxton, a small town in the Karoo where he is met by Captain Duvenhage (Marius Weyers), who tells him he must take time out. He meets an enigmatic young woman, Ella (Antoinette Louw), who challenges him to learn how to tango with her. These scenes are wonderfully lit and choreographed and the actors perform beautifully. In a twist, the killer gets out on parole and sets off to find De Wet. The camera work is impeccable and the atmosphere of this little town is excellent. The plot is a touch complex and the murder storyline clashes with the poignant love story, but it is fresh and interesting.