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26th July 2014
05:00pm BST

Joe tells the story of an ex-con who barely makes a living but he is a trusted employer, someone who is looked up to in the local community and who certainly tries to do the right thing. Joe lives a fairly monotonous life, getting up for work, visiting the local prostitutes and getting himself drunk. However, when young Gary comes his way and is employed on his staff, Joe needs to make a decision whether he will ignore what's happening to the young teenager or stand up for him.
Gary lives a difficult life. Being the sole earner in his family, his father spends most of his time drunk or getting himself into trouble while his sister has been so badly abused, she no longer speaks. Gary works hard and Joe soon becomes aware of how difficult it is for him; Gary's father beats him in front of his truck and takes everything he has earned for that day. Joe is about to get involved and decides against it but when young Gary helps him find his dog, the pair bond while out on the road and he feels a need to protect him.
In terms of the plot, the film is incredibly simplistic - a bad man needs to make things right. The only thing that gets in Joe's way is his inability to control his bad temper which gets the better of him occasionally. For the most part, these are the most exciting moments in the film, besides this everything can move a little slowly but if you can overlook that, you are in for a treat.
Cage is simply brilliant in his role, encompassing all aspects of a disturbed and tortured character, someone who is completely alone but craves companionship and love. Obviously, he is not completely good but that only makes him more human to us; he has light and shade but often, the light completely shines through. Tye Sheridan is certainly one to watch, a teenager who is far beyond his years in terms of understanding film and acting, where the camera moves, reactions and emotions. He will win an Oscar someday if he continues on this path.
If we had one complaint about Joe it would be that occasionally it can seem a lot longer than its running time but that is neither here nor there, this is character acting at its best and it is most certainly Nicolas Cage at his best. Please do seek it out.