Joe

Another 'back on the right track' effort from David Gordon Green. An age old surrogate father / son tale, but Green's direction helps create a very potent and volatile atmosphere throughout that makes everything seem fresh and lively (bar the ending, which is sadly about as predictable as they come). Cage plays Joe as a man constantly fit to explode, and the resonances between his relationship with Sheridan's character and the actual father-son dynamic are extremely well handled.

There seems to be a renewed fascination with 'Southern Gothic' in American cinema recently - Winters Bone, Mud, Hide Your Smiling Faces, Beasts of the Southern Wild to name but a few. This is one of the darker offerings, although there are times the film becomes grim to the point of near parody. Still, as his early work proved Green has genuine empathy for the places, the people and the way of life, and he expresses a quiet respect without romanticising things (this is still a violent and run-down community crippled by social problems). There are times the film risks feeling exploitative - hicksploitation, if you will - but for some artistic exaggerations underneath it all is a wish to show a side of America not often seen on cinema screens (well, until recently ) in all its gritty glory. It walks a fine line and trips over occasionally, but the setting is ultimately one of the most powerfully realised things in Joe.