Joe

"One man's past. One boy's future."

2014 1h 58m EN

👍

6.5

SOLID

★6.5TMDB · 1,069

Drama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

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

“One man's past. One boy's future.”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Nicolas Cage
Joe Ransom
Tye Sheridan
Gary
Ronnie Gene Blevins
Willie
Sue Rock
Merle
Heather Kafka
Lacy
Gary Poulter
Wade
Adriene Mishler
Connie
Brenda Isaacs Booth
Mother Jones

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: David Gordon Green
Writers: Gary Hawkins
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $4.0M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Earned back only 61% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 12 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by David Gordon Green, shot by Tim Orr. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Jeff McIlwain. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Colin Patton shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Nicolas Cage and Tye Sheridan and Ronnie Gene Blevins carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "One man's past. One boy's future.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

David Gordon Green directs. Tim Orr behind the camera. Jeff McIlwain scores. Colin Patton cuts. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Shot for just $4.0M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
2Earned back only 61% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
3Released 12 years ago.
4Directed by David Gordon Green, shot by Tim Orr. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Jeff McIlwain. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Colin Patton shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Nicolas Cage and Tye Sheridan and Ronnie Gene Blevins carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "One man's past. One boy's future.".
9IMDB entry: tt2382396 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Classified under 25 themes, including "pedophilia", "child abuse", "prostitute", "based on novel or book".

The technical file

Cinematography: Tim Orr
Original score: Jeff McIlwain
Editing: Colin Patton
Production design: Chris L. Spellman
Costume design: Karen Malecki
Makeup / hair: Jacenda Burkett
VFX supervisor: Justin Paul Warren
Sound: Lewis Goldstein
Stunt coordinator: Jeff Schwan
Runtime: 118 min · 1h 58m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $4,000,000
Box office: $2,431,443
Return: 61% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: Joe (2014)

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David Gordon Green

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Community reviews

What people are saying

Cat Ellington2017-03-16
In what could perhaps be called one of the most electrifying performances of his legendary career, Nicolas Cage stars as Joe Ransom - the dearly beloved, albeit terribly troubled protagonist - in this, one of the most magnificently conducted, excruciatingly emotional, powerfully thought-provoking, and deeply moving films of all-time. Despite the fact that the David Gordon Green-directed indie jewel didn't exactly set the world on fire during its box office debut, as a result of the many, many peoples who'd frowned upon it, I would still wager a gorgeous sum that in due time, Joe will be hailed as a motion picture masterpiece ... And as one of the greatest achievements by any given filmmaker in the history of cinema. It's only a matter of time. Brought to life from the pages of a gut-wrenching screenplay, Joe is a powerful drama carried by an outstanding cast, and graced with performances nothing short of tour de force. Extraordinary filmmaking. As is the case where my book reviews are concerned, each one of my film reviews was set to be written in chronological order. But for this particular work of visual art, I made an exception. This one couldn't wait. Joe is a remarkable film with a distinctive score, and a beautiful soundtrack of the Folk genre. Indeed, the cinematic tearjerker is a rare and priceless diamond in its own right. Five well earned stars.
Wuchak2018-03-01
★ 6/10
RELEASED IN 2013 and directed by David Gordon Green, “Joe” chronicles events in the heart of Texas when a goodhearted-but-flawed ex-con, Joe (Nicolas Cage), befriends a 15 year-old poor kid (Tye Sheridan) from a dysfunctional family headed by a hopeless alcoholic (Gary Poulter). Ronnie Gene Blevins plays Joe’s rival while Adriene Mishler plays Joe’s maybe babe. Aj Wilson McPhaul is on hand as the likable police chief. This is a southern gothic crime drama with a gritty melancholy mood similar to “Mud” (2013) and “Winter’s Bone” (2010). The guy who plays the kid’s dirtbag father was actually a homeless drunk who pursued acting in his youth. While he looks like he’s about 68 years-old, he was actually only 53 and died on the streets of Austin a couple of months after filming stopped. The movie depicts the ugly side of “rural trash” (aka “rednecks”) and is so downbeat some find it disgusting. Also, the film might seem sloppy story-wise, but that’s because it respects the intelligence of the viewer to read in between the lines. If you can look past these issues, there are thematic gems to mine and occasional glimmerings of light. THE FILM RUNS 1 hour & 57 minutes and was shot in rural areas outside Austin, Texas (Bastrop, Taylor & Lockhart). WRITERS: Gary Hawkins wrote the script based on the novel by Larry Brown. GRADE: B-

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