Joe

On one hand, Joe is a rich and evocative glimpse into the rural South with its stark beauty and blue-collar work ethic. On the other, it’s a violent and uncompromising story of alcoholism and redemption that can be difficult to watch.

They combine to create a dynamic examination of masculinity and redemption in this atmospheric low-budget drama about complex characters whose macho posturing masks an inner vulnerability.

The story is set in the rural South, where Nicolas Cage plays the title character, whose company employs day laborers to help poison trees prior to their removal. As a boss, he seems tough but fair, and generally pleasant prior to meeting Gary (Tye Sheridan), a precocious teenager looking for work.

What gets Joe riled up is Gary’s father, Wade (Gary Poulter), an alcoholic drifter who takes out his frustrations on his son. Although his instincts tell him to mind his own business, Joe becomes a mentor and protector to Gary, which unleashes a violent streak of his own that brings out some past demons.

The atmospheric and deliberately paced film is a return to edgier, character-driven fare for director David Gordon Green (Pineapple Express), who emphasizes mundane details and raw authenticity to create a gritty visual texture.

The nonchalant violence in the film is never gratuitous, but rather stems from the characters and their experiences. They have both physical and emotional scars, many of which can be traced to alcohol, either directly or indirectly.

The screenplay by Gary Hawkins, adapted from a novel by Larry Brown, also manages a healthy dose of humor and tenderness to balance its bleak subject matter.

Cage is back in top form here, demonstrating his versatility by playing a hard-working character whose darker side leads to his downfall. He develops a convincing chemistry with the understated Sheridan (Mud) and the rest of a cast consisting of many non-professional actors, including the wonderfully expressive Poulter, a street performer by trade who died shortly after filming.

Offbeat and disturbing, Joe uses a powerful socioeconomic subtext in its portrayal of characters who are fascinating if not always likeable. As tragedy becomes inevitable, it shows that sometimes bad things can happen to bad people.

Rated R, 117 minutes.