To low-life dope peddler Chris Smith (Emile Hirsch), in deep to loan sharks, bumping off his mother for the insurance payout seems like a sure solution. Only problem: he's not a killer so he needs one. Enter Killer Joe (Matthew McConaughey), a gun-for-hire with more kinks than steel wool. Totally buggy playwright Tracy Letts, whose Bug was an earlier Friedkin hit, pulls out the stops for this grubby tribute to family values, few of which are on display. The Smith family-Chris, Dottie, Ansel, and Sharla-aren't so much Southern trash as they are base recyclables. When Joe catches sight of delectable Dottie, it's suddenly unsustainable.