La guerra del cittadino Joe

Bill Compton is a wealthy, conservative advertising executive who would be living the traditional American dream were it not for one thing: his daughter is a hippie. She and her boyfriend spend their days doing drugs and wasting time. After she overdoses, Compton accidentally kills the boyfriend in a fit of rage. Later he meets Joe, an ultra-right-wing blue-collar worker, and drunkenly tells the man his murderous secret. Joe believes he's found a kindred spirit in Compton and the two form an unlikely friendship. However, Joe's virulent hatred for anything and anyone liberal makes both men's lives increasingly complicated, violent and dangerous.

Directed by John G. Avildsen, 'Joe' is a character study and a drama about evolving cultural mores, highlighting the ideological schism that emerged between generations following the counter-culture revolution of the 60's. Norman Wexler's screenplay is sharp and full of fantastic, grittily realistic dialogue. It is unhampered by bias, scathing of both old school conservatism and the 'free love' attitude of the hippie movement alike- not to mention political extremism and classism. While the story contains moments of violence and can be a tad melodramatic from time to time, at its' heart it's a clever, subtle examination of two multi-faceted, realistic characters.

Compton and Joe are disillusioned by a society in which they no longer feel comfortable. As many were at the time, they are threatened by the hedonistic lifestyle the youth of the film embody. However, they are also strangely attracted to it. Compton and Joe want to partake in the 'free love' but can't allow themselves to because of their deeply held conservative beliefs. Thus, they are left out in the cold so to speak, and their violent reaction to their uncertain place in the 'modern' world seems like a foregone conclusion from the beginning of the film because of the strength of Wexler's characterization.

Having said that, the supporting characters are all a little hollow and underwritten in comparison to Compton and Joe, most notably Compton's daughter, played by Susan Sarandon in her big screen debut. She comes across like a parody of a hippie, the kind you'd see dancing in the background of a Peter Sellers' farce from the 60's- or perhaps even one of the 'Austin Powers' films. What makes it all the worse is the fact that Sarandon is completely stilted, wooden and lacking in charisma. Though in a few years she'd start giving the powerful, nuanced performances she's known for today, it's a wonder her awfully mediocre work in 'Joe' didn't derail her career just as it was beginning.

On the positive side of things, 'Joe' features an atmospheric original soundtrack from Bobby Scott that makes good use of songs from the likes of Exuma and Dean Michaels. Michaels 'Hey Joe' is particularly memorable, with lyrics reflecting the narrative beats of the film, as well as the ideology of the titular character. Besides directing, Avildsen also acted as cinematographer and his work has a naturalistic quality that is most affecting. The film is also very well-edited, having a brisk pace that makes Compton and Joe's journey to the dark side all the more exhilarating and frantic.

Dennis Patrick stars as Compton, delivering a performance of style and subtlety. Not as colorful or as openly bigoted as the titular character, Compton is nevertheless a complicated person with darkness in his soul, a man capable of extreme violence. Patrick couldn't have been better in the role, bringing to it much depth and intelligence. He makes Compton sympathetic- which is no mean feat considering the actions the character takes in the film- and he and co-star Peter Boyle work together marvelously.

Always a reliable actor, Boyle is brilliant as the bigoted blue-collar worker Joe. While not a likable character by any means, Boyle imbues Joe with a certain seedy charm and complexity that is intensely interesting and effective. He plays Joe as a regular man whose perception of reality is skewed by his political inclination, as one who can't see the truth from behind a blinding veil of conservative dogmatism. Boyle's assured performance is a joy to behold, and one can tell that he understood the character's motivations perfectly.

In short, John G. Avildsen's 'Joe' is a powerful and clever parable about bigotry, principles and violence boasting a fine Norman Wexler screenplay and a great soundtrack from Bobby Scott. Dennis Patrick and Peter Boyle deliver two fascinating, impactful performances of great depth and complexity that are highlights in both men's filmographies. Although the supporting characters are a little underwritten- and some questionably acted- 'Joe' is a terrific movie that has only gotten more relevant and entertaining with time.

Wealthy businessman Bill Compton (played by Dennis Patrick) accidentally kills his daughter's hippie boyfriend after an argument. Panic-stricken, he retreats to a bar, and meets Joe Curran (played by Peter Boyle): a loud-mouth, angry, bigot who is bitter over how his beloved country has become. Unintentionally, Bill allows Joe to find out that he just killed a hippie. And this is only the beginning. "Joe" is a classic film of an unlikely friendship. A bond between two men, one of a white-collar background, the other of a blue-collar background. Bill & Joe have one thing in common, they are disgraced over how crazy the world has become. Dennis Patrick & Peter Boyle have both given very realistic portrayals of their characters. Director John G. Avidsen with this "pre-Rocky" effort, directs this low-budget gem with the same finesse as a movie with a $100 million budget. The script is loaded with excellent character development and very snappy, realistic dialog. In spite of its strengths this film does have its weaknesses. The script falls asleep roughly 3/4 of the way through, but it wakes up just in time for the jarring climax. This film also features a very early and uninspiring performance by a 24-year old Susan Sarandon as Bill's daughter Melissa, along with her hippie boyfriend Frank, portrayed very blandly by Patrick Mc Dermott. One could only be thankful that he was killed off early in the film. In spite of its few flaws this is one of those forgotten films of the 70's that should not be. Even though "Joe" is very dated to today's standards, the chemistry between Dennis Patrick & Peter Boyle is completely relevant today, and it is the glue that holds the whole film together.

This was the first movie I viewed, just by chance, after my discharge from active duty in the Army in 1970. Forty-two years later, remembering nothing of the plot, only that I left the theater very emotional (rare for me), I found a DVD copy at a local library.

I now realize why I have since not been able to regard Peter Boyle as anything but a frightening character, even in his comic role on the TV series "Everybody Loves Raymond." To be fair, his 1976 role in "Taxi Driver" didn't help, but his face, as seen in "Joe", is still the stuff of nightmares for me.

That said, I learned that it was the now long-forgotten hostility between sectors of our society, so brutally represented in the film, created by the debacle in Vietnam that affected me so deeply in 1970. Today, even to one who was there, the experience of living in an America so torn, so close to open rebellion, is hard to conceive - even harder to explain. But fresh off the plane, still somewhat glum from the cold stares at the airport caused by my uniform, this film hit me like a hammer. And guessing from the huge profit it made, it did the same to many.

It shocked me that I hadn't remembered Susan Sarandon was in this film - she has been one of my favorites - and, as a bonus, the then 24 year-old Ms. Sarandon appears nude. How could I have possibly forgotten that?

"Joe" is one of those movies where, although you think that it might go along smoothly, ends up hitting you like...I can't come up with an analogy. It showed not only that America's long-standing idea of unity was moot, but also the various aspects within our society. Melissa Compton (Susan Sarandon) is the ultimate flower child, while her father Bill (Dennis Patrick) is a clean-cut executive. One day, Bill accidentally kills Melissa's boyfriend. In the immediate aftermath, Bill gets acquainted with Joe Curran (Peter Boyle), an ultra-right-wing, rabidly racist working stiff. As a result, the two of them end up associating more and more with the hippies, whom Bill finds unpleasant and Joe outright hates. But in the end, everything has dead serious consequences.

True, some parts of the movie are a little bit dated, but it's a good juxtaposition of America's two sides during the Vietnam War. And rest assured, the residual effects of all that will probably never go away.

Norman Wexler, who went on to encapsulate the zeitgeist in SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER and to create deathless, hyper-offensive camp in MANDINGO, was a prince among hot-button-pushers in JOE. When a Madison Avenue type (Dennis Patrick) throttles to death the sneering drug pusher who was the lover of his daughter (Susan Sarandon), he meets an unlikely fan and friend: Joe Curran (Peter Boyle), a racist, hippie-hating hardhat type who's as far from the genteel Mr. Compton as warm root beer is from gravlax and eggs. The movie is as flummoxing, and as weirdly elating, as a deeply abusive boyfriend. One minute it's getting you to giggle along with the no-baloney Joe; a second later, he's a Hitlerian psychopath. At times, we're touched by the friendship and mutual respect that crosses class lines; at other times, we're made to chuckle at Joe and his wife's homely ways, and at still others Compton's brand of magazine-derived good taste comes in for a beating. Like another surprise hit of its year, PATTON, JOE has that non-lecturing, read-it-this-way-or-that quality. Nearly every scene has something for an audience to cheer or boo (and oftentimes, those are the same things). The director, John G. Avildsen, has a few real winners (SAVE THE TIGER, NEIGHBORS) in his undistinguished career; this may be tops among them.