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Joe

Joe

Drama · 2014

The rough-hewn boss of a lumber crew courts trouble when he steps in to protect the youngest member of his team from an abusive father.

Movie details

Joe

“One man's past. One boy's future.”

2014 Drama 1h 58m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

6.5 / 10

Community rating

The rough-hewn boss of a lumber crew courts trouble when he steps in to protect the youngest member of his team from an abusive father.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over Joe?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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Crime · 2008

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Once Upon a Time in America

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Drama · 1984

A former Prohibition-era Jewish gangster returns to the Lower East Side of Manhattan over thirty years later, where he once again must confront the ghosts and regrets of his old life.

Mystic River

Mystic River

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Cape Fear

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Primal Fear

Primal Fear

Crime · 1996

Defense attorney Martin Vail takes on jobs for money and prestige rather than any sense of the greater good. His latest case involves an altar boy, accused of brutally murdering the archbishop of Chicago. Vail finds himself up against his ex-pupil and ex-lover, but as the case progresses and the Church's dark secrets are revealed, Vail finds that what appeared a simple case takes on a darker, more dangerous aspect.

Where it lives

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

David Gordon Green

Written by

Gary Hawkins

Nicolas Cage

Nicolas Cage

Joe Ransom

Tye Sheridan

Tye Sheridan

Gary

Ronnie Gene Blevins

Ronnie Gene Blevins

Willie

Sue Rock

Sue Rock

Merle

Heather Kafka

Heather Kafka

Lacy

Gary Poulter

Gary Poulter

Wade

Adriene Mishler

Adriene Mishler

Connie

Court is in session

Put Joe on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Prestige Tourist

“Sincerity is not manipulation.”

The film risks embarrassment to make emotion communal, and that openness is harder than fashionable detachment.

The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist

“The strings are showing.”

Every cue tells you exactly what to feel and when, leaving sentiment to do the work character should have done.