The Good Gentleman
S'all Part of a Miracle Masterpiece
A conversation I was having with VampireWicked prompted me to cook up this particular thread. So without further ado, today's recommendation is...
What are we dealing with here?
An extremely, hilariously, insurmountably ****ed up thriller/souther-gothic/black-comedy released in 2011 in Limited Format....as an NC-17 film. One of the few non-porn or exploitation films released theatrically with an NC-17 rating. Directed by William Friedkin, the master of extreme, hilarious twisted and ****ed up films in general. Stars Matthew McConaughey as Joe Cooper, Emile Hirsch as Chris Smith, Juno Temple as Dottie Smith, and Thomas Haden Church as Ansel Smith.
Wha...?
The film follows the exploits of Chris Smith, and his father Ansel, two unimaginably idiotic trailer-trash rednecks who cook up a scheme to have Ansel's ex-wife killed for her insurance payout. Poor Chris is in massive debt to a local (and affable) gangster, and needs cash quick. He soon finds out that his little sister, Dottie, would receive an insurance payout in the case of his mother's death - whom everyone hates - and this he learns....from his mother's current boyfriend. True genius, that one. So he and Ansel get in touch with "Killer" Joe Cooper, a Texas detective who moonlights as an ice-cold hitman. Chris is unable to afford Joe's services, but Joe quickly becomes taken with the underage Dottie, offering to act as her "retainer" until the money comes through. Naturally, things don't go as planned and the Smiths find themselves now indebted to an absolutely monstrous and creepy psychopath. You'll never want to eat fried chicken again after watching this one.
Why the HELL would I EVER want to watch something like this!?
I'll be the first to admit that this movie requires an acquired taste, and a stomach for truly twisted cinema. It isn't overtly violent or graphic, but the themes it dances around really earn it that NC-17 rating. The entire film, top to bottom, is a cynical criticism of typical American trailer-trash, and what people will do for cash when desperate enough. Though if you need a reason as any other, watch it for McConaughey's magnetic performance as possibly the creepiest sort of psychopath ever. You just might be legitimately afraid of him, as an actor, after this. Then there's of course Thomas Haden Church as Ansel, who's sheer stupidity almost makes him likable - until you realize he's pretty much as terrible as the rest of them. This is a film about horrible people doing horrible things, and owning up to the consequences. No one's innocent in this one, not even little Dottie.
Let's say...HYPOTHETICALLY...I want to watch this. Out of a scholarly curiosity. Where?
Anywhere movies are sold. Amazon, as always, has it for cheap. Netflix, as I last recalled, had both versions up. Which brings me to my next point - the film comes in two flavors, the standard uncut version, and a censored one. If you REALLY like fried chicken, watch the latter. But ethically, I'm against censored stuff - even if it entails some of the worst of humanity.
Click for stuff!
What are we dealing with here?
An extremely, hilariously, insurmountably ****ed up thriller/souther-gothic/black-comedy released in 2011 in Limited Format....as an NC-17 film. One of the few non-porn or exploitation films released theatrically with an NC-17 rating. Directed by William Friedkin, the master of extreme, hilarious twisted and ****ed up films in general. Stars Matthew McConaughey as Joe Cooper, Emile Hirsch as Chris Smith, Juno Temple as Dottie Smith, and Thomas Haden Church as Ansel Smith.
Wha...?
The film follows the exploits of Chris Smith, and his father Ansel, two unimaginably idiotic trailer-trash rednecks who cook up a scheme to have Ansel's ex-wife killed for her insurance payout. Poor Chris is in massive debt to a local (and affable) gangster, and needs cash quick. He soon finds out that his little sister, Dottie, would receive an insurance payout in the case of his mother's death - whom everyone hates - and this he learns....from his mother's current boyfriend. True genius, that one. So he and Ansel get in touch with "Killer" Joe Cooper, a Texas detective who moonlights as an ice-cold hitman. Chris is unable to afford Joe's services, but Joe quickly becomes taken with the underage Dottie, offering to act as her "retainer" until the money comes through. Naturally, things don't go as planned and the Smiths find themselves now indebted to an absolutely monstrous and creepy psychopath. You'll never want to eat fried chicken again after watching this one.
Why the HELL would I EVER want to watch something like this!?
I'll be the first to admit that this movie requires an acquired taste, and a stomach for truly twisted cinema. It isn't overtly violent or graphic, but the themes it dances around really earn it that NC-17 rating. The entire film, top to bottom, is a cynical criticism of typical American trailer-trash, and what people will do for cash when desperate enough. Though if you need a reason as any other, watch it for McConaughey's magnetic performance as possibly the creepiest sort of psychopath ever. You just might be legitimately afraid of him, as an actor, after this. Then there's of course Thomas Haden Church as Ansel, who's sheer stupidity almost makes him likable - until you realize he's pretty much as terrible as the rest of them. This is a film about horrible people doing horrible things, and owning up to the consequences. No one's innocent in this one, not even little Dottie.
Let's say...HYPOTHETICALLY...I want to watch this. Out of a scholarly curiosity. Where?
Anywhere movies are sold. Amazon, as always, has it for cheap. Netflix, as I last recalled, had both versions up. Which brings me to my next point - the film comes in two flavors, the standard uncut version, and a censored one. If you REALLY like fried chicken, watch the latter. But ethically, I'm against censored stuff - even if it entails some of the worst of humanity.
Click for stuff!
- What's with you and fried chicken?
- Not me, what's with the film and fried chicken! The single most graphic scene in the film includes a portrayal of sexual assault via a drumstick. And not once does a man's penis ever enter a woman's body, yet it somehow manages to be the most horrible thing you'll ever watch. Again, blame McConaughey's performance - only he can make something so innocuous to be so disturbing. Hell, the film's poster is a piece of blood-covered fried chicken shaped like the state of Texas.
- Is the film racist?
- No, but it certainly is biased towards a particular American demographic. While it only ever portrays a single family, it doubtless gives off a sort of vibe that every poor, trailer-dwelling southerner is dumb trailer trash. But as always, stereotypes exist in the first place because of an irrefutable, partial truth to them. People as stupid and terrible as these exist, and this is just a single fictional portrayal of them. Take that how you will.
- So there are no good guys in this film whatsoever?
- None whatsoever. Even little Dottie is wholly on-board the scheme to have her mother killed off. When a vicious gangster is your most ethical character, you know you're dealing with a William Friedkin film.
- Is the film violent or extremely graphic?
- No. It's weird, but there's barely any violence or graphic imagery. Again, we have the infamous fried chicken scene, a gangster beating the snot out of Chris, and a quick shot of a sex scene with a clearly underage girl, but that's as far as it goes. The ickiness all comes from the themes and portrayals. Everyone is an awful, disgusting person, and if you're not seeing what they're really doing at certain points, you definitely have enough to go on to correctly picture it in your mind.
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