michelelewis88
Its hard to write a coherent review because I'm sitting here trying to figure out what just happened. I read some of the reviews and not sure I'd agree with total oedipal complex although joe (Joaquin Phoenix) did have a close relationship with his mom. I understand he was an enforcer, former war vet with a lot of flashback memories, and voices in his head. He's supposed to rescue runaway abused girls and seems the last job went bad. The scenes jump alot which gets somewhat confusing, I even dozed a bit. His mom his shot execution style but I dont understand why unless it has to do with one of his jobs. Not sure who did it but the reviewers have you believe joe did it. Then he wraps her in a bag and takes her to the lake to dump. Why does he not call the police? Probably due to his line of work.
The daughter he tries to rescue shows up here and there which gets more confusing. Its kind of like you're in a dreamstate watching this movie.
He and nina are at the diner and you're led to believe he shoots himself but then the scene changes and he's really asleep. So which is it?.
It is a bizaar movie, was recommended at the movie rental store. Definitely need to have a chat with the recommeder... lol
davideo-2
STAR RATING: ***** Saturday Night **** Friday Night *** Friday Morning ** Sunday Night * Monday MorningJoe (Joaquin Phoenix) is a former war veteran, tormented by nightmarish visions of a past he's struggling to come to terms with. Lacking any real direction in his life, he's offered a shot at redemption when the ambitious Senator Albert Votto (Alex Manette) hires him to track down his missing daughter who's been dragged into the sex trade. However, despite accomplishing his mission, he finds himself plunged into a deadly game of revenge that plunges his already fragile mind over the edge.In a Hollywood landscape still recovering from the recession, we still find ourselves bombarded with 'franchise' movies dominating the multiplexes, either long dormant or presently in the cultural consciousness, a safe bet of making a box office return that justifies the budget. We still find more abstract, independent works being shuffled to the side lines, as seems to be the case with this effort from writer/director Lynne Ramsay, a dark, moody effort with little in the way of humour, and a central plot with plenty of potential that sadly never really engages you the way it should.In the lead role and truthfully as the only character of any real substance, Phoenix fits the role perfectly, gruff and stone faced, and looking like he's put on a few pounds and could do with hitting the gym, and indeed it's a dark, brutal thriller he inhabits, as is the case these days, brutal and pulling no punches, with some graphic, unflinching violence typical of modern cinema. It's trying to stand out as a film by being deeper and more pseudo-intellectual than your average thriller, and in doing so drowns itself in an arthouse vibe that ends up leaving you further absconded.It's too well made and intriguing to be a waste of time, but Ramsay leaves it all too ambiguous and uninvolving to really do it justice. ***
