Matrixston Wow! Such a good movie.

Intcatinfo A Masterpiece!

Myron Clemons A film of deceptively outspoken contemporary relevance, this is cinema at its most alert, alarming and alive.

Janae Milner Easily the biggest piece of Right wing non sense propaganda I ever saw.

moonspinner55 After beating--and unintentionally killing--the drug dealer who has been shacking up with his daughter, a New York businessman leaks his secret to a blue-collar worker in a bar and, just as unintentionally, begins a curious friendship with the rough-hewn bigot. Technically amateurish examination of America's loss of morals circa 1970 is saved from being a wallow by occasionally smart, often funny satire and character development, as well as by strong performances. Peter Boyle's Joe exemplifies the uneducated, underpaid working stiff, though his hate-filled rants at society in general smack of an intentionally controversial bias. Director and cinematographer John G. Avildsen puts Joe up on some imaginary platform where no one dares refute his complaints; however, at a comical orgy late in the film, we also get to see Joe as a cloddish buffoon who's no Valentino in the sack. Avildsen is very wise to show us different sides of this character, as well as Dennis Patrick's apathetic white-collar executive, but nothing is really solved by the 'shocking' finale. Norman Wexler's screenplay was Oscar-nominated, though his jabbing, stabbing dialogue is a great deal more provocative than his simple-minded, unhinged plot. ** from ****

poe-48833 JOE isn't "dated;" it's Timely. Again. In mere days, we'll have our first unabashedly Libertarian president (and anyone who doesn't know what that means, look up the Libertarian manifesto). The Free Poor of this country (once called "the Middle Class" before being decimated by both Democratic AND Republican policies) are overdosing on heroin in record numbers; walled-in, gated "communities" abut slum tenement housing the country over; gun violence continues unabated, with an average of one mass shooting (a shooting in which four or more people are shot) a day. And it's now Official: The Electoral Integrity Project, which assesses so-called "democracies" around the world, has concluded that North Carolina is "no longer a functioning democracy." (Due, in part, we're told, to rampant gerrymandering, voter suppression, and outright power grabs. That's "racketeering," to those who still believe in the Old Laws...) JOE tapped into a lot of this way back in 1970- especially the age-old Hatreds that have kept the Species from uniting the Races. F--- 'em. I'm going to sit back and listen to some Kitaro and some Terry Oldfield and some Steven Halpern and some R. Carlos Nakai and dream of Better Days...

jadavix "Joe" is the kind of film that Hollywood certainly doesn't make anymore. It's bleak and challenging, with an ending that comes as a slap in the face. If you want to see a movie like this these days, you have to try hard to find one.It's about two men who have nothing in common except for hatred. They take that hatred to its logical conclusion. It is likely that the screenwriters had seen "Easy Rider"; the bleakness of both pictures' endings is similar. In "Joe", however, you're not with the hippies: you're watching them from the outside in, through the eyes of two people who would never be accepted as one of their kind: a rabidly racist working stiff and a stuffy executive.The movie is worth watching for Peter Boyle in the title role. This is a disturbing role, but I am not surprised that some audience members cheered his performance back in the day. Boyle is a natural in roles like this, and watching this movie, I couldn't help but think that if Joe were around today, he'd be voting for a certain billionaire in the next election.

JasparLamarCrabb John G. Avildsen directed Norman Wexler's inflammatory script about a middle-aged "square," who, after accidentally killing his daughter's pusher/lover, teams up with a bigoted blue collar nitwit (the title character played with a lot of bravado by Peter Boyle) with tragic results. They commiserate and find common ground in their intolerance of ANYTHING they're not: liberals; blacks; the young. A time-capsule of the early 1970s, this plays like an R-rated version of ALL IN THE FAMILY with Boyle playing Archie Bunker with guns. The acting is all first rate...not only by Boyle, but by Dennis Patrick, Susan Sarandon and, at least briefly, Patrick McDermott as one of the most unlikeable victims in movie history. A violent, unforgiving film. It's certainly unsettling but what is it telling us? It's OK to have junkies & pushers running rampant as long as they're peace-loving? It's become a classic.