Killer Joe - the inspiration for this article - is one of the darker entries in Matthew McConaughey's aptly named 'McConaissance'. The film (based on a play by Tracey Letts) centres on a redneck family who, in an attempt to pay-off their debts to a local gangster, plot to have their estranged mother killed to claim her life insurance. Through a series of ill-judged negotiations, McConaughey's cop-turned-hitman, Joe, enters the lives of the Smith family as a self-appointed boyfriend to the underage Dotty, until payment of his services can be made. Like any doting partner, Joe tries his best to integrate into the family by going through the motions of a boyfriend's responsibilities - that which includes attending family dinners. However, Tracey Letts' idea of a family dinner might not follow the same domesticated routines that you or I are familiar with. Instead of remembering his 'P's & Q's', Joe forces step-mum Gina Gershon to fellate a chicken drumstick held metaphorically close to his crotch, whilst her husband watches on. Now it might sound amusing but picture the scene - where Gershon is bloodied and bruised from a beating and McConaughey delivers a nauseating performance of genuine arousal that leaves you both shocked and confused and reluctant to ever step foot in a KFC again.
