Joe (1970 film)
| Joe | |
|---|---|
Film poster | |
| Directed by | John G. Avildsen |
| Written by | Norman Wexler |
| Produced by | David Gil |
| Starring | Peter Boyle Dennis Patrick Audrey Caire Susan Sarandon K Callan Patrick McDermott |
| Cinematography | John G. Avildsen |
| Edited by | George T. Norris |
| Music by | Bobby Scott |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Cannon Releasing |
Release date |
|
Running time | 107 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $106,000 |
| Box office | $19,319,254 or $9.5 million |
Joe is a 1970 American drama film written by Norman Wexler and directed by John G. Avildsen. It stars Peter Boyle, Dennis Patrick, and Susan Sarandon in her film debut.
The film follows New York business executive Bill Compton as his life unravels into murderous chaos after he kills his daughter's drug-dealing boyfriend and enters into a peculiar partnership with factory worker Joe, a veteran with racist fantasies of vigilante violence. Their search for Compton's missing daughter leads to a raid on a hippie commune that turns into mass murder where Compton mistakenly shoots his own daughter.
The film's plot coincidentally resembled a real-life mass murder in Detroit, where the killer had killed his own daughter. The real-life killer gained publicity for his actions, and received letters of support from hundreds of parents. The film has received praise for its black comedy-style satire of social class.