Hard-living, hot-tempered ex-con Joe (Nicolas Cage) finds a need to fiercely protect a hard-luck kid (Tye Sheridan).

My Thoughts: Joe is a film steeped in Southern atmosphere – it’s easy to get enveloped in this world. In many ways, it feels like a companion piece to last year’s Matthew McConaughey-starring Mud. Nicolas Cage has turned into a punchline with most of his film choices over the last decade (and that’s being generous about it), similarly to McConaughey. In Joe, though, he shows the strengths he has as an actor that once helped him win a Best Actor Oscar. Even the co-lead in both films is played by the same actor, Tye Sheridan. Unlike Mud, though, Joe‘s world feels more expansive. Highly recommended.