Director: John G. Avildsen
Screenplay: Norman Wexler
Starring: Peter Boyle, Dennis Patrick, Susan Sarandon, Patrick McDermott
Country: United States
Running Time: 106 minutes
Year: 1970
BBFC Certificate: 18
Joe (1970) is a neat crime drama that portrays the gritty, diverse, and hedonistic shift in culture at the turn of the decade. Peter Boyle, later known for Everybody Loves Raymond (1996), steals the movie as bigoted maniac Joe Currin who wants to stick it to the younger generation of hippies and deadbeats.
Boyle effectively did actually steal the movie with the film being retitled – it was originally titled The Gap, in reference to the different generations – and heavily re-cut to centre around his character. Transmission, a sublabel of Radiance films, which releases offbeat cult classics and underappreciated genre movies, is giving the film its UK bluray premiere. It’s presented with a high-definition digital transfer, along with the original uncompressed mono audio.
The film has a gritty, real, harsh authentic look with dark and dingy lighting. Produced by Cannon Productions, it was filmed on location on the streets of New York during the period when the Hollywood studio system was winding down and filmmakers were given greater freedom. There’s an opening sequence with Susan Sarandon where the picture is ethereal and luminescent amid the grit of the city. Then later on, landscapes surrounded by jet white snow give the final act a majestic quality. The film looks lived in and grim, lending well to the nasty unpredictable nature of Joe.
Radiance describes the plot as follows: ‘After his daughter (Susan Sarandon in her first screen role) overdoses on heroin, wealthy NY businessman Bill Compton (Dennis Patrick) confronts her drug dealer boyfriend in a rage and accidentally murders him. Stunned, he retreats to a nearby bar and finds himself confessing his crime to a stranger: the charismatic yet deeply bigoted blue-collar factory worker Joe (a remarkable Peter Boyle).’
The taught drama wasn’t just the start of Sarandon’s career. It marked the beginning for Rocky (1976) director John G Avildsen and screenwriter Norman Wexler, known for Serpico (1973) and Saturday Night Fever (1977). The film has the feel of a peak Coen Brothers movie with a tone similar to Fargo.
Boyle is a force to be reckoned with in this picture. He’s so compelling to watch. Throughout the movie I was really hoping the character would learn a thing or two from the younger generation. He was just so wild and unpredictable that I was hanging on his every move. There were some really chilling moments, especially when he is bullying doe-eyed, admittedly moronic, wife Mary Lou, played by K Callan who chews her food with her mouth open.
Dennis Patrick as Bill brings a sober intensity to his role, of a man who has done the unthinkable and finds himself down a tumultuous path. Sarandon is devastatingly beautiful and plays the role with a real sense of innocence and earnestness. She seems heartbroken. Patrick McDermott as junkie boyfriend Frank also has a commanding evil presence in the first act. Audrey Caire as Bill’s wife Joan is also very believable remaining strong and resolute confronted with her husband’s terrible misdeed and the looming threat of Joe as he pervades their life.
It feels like a dark character study. Much of the film, we’re watching the awkward male-bonding between Bill and Joe. There’s this sense they feel lost in this changing world and that’s a universal trait that strengthens the twisting narrative and neat little crime drama.
Film:
Special Features
Newly recorded audio commentary with critics Matt Zoller Seitz and Jason Bailey (2026): Seitz and Bailey have a great rapport. It feels like a natural, chatty and conversational. They discuss the cast and creatives behind the film. They analyse key scenes, character motivations, mise en scene and underlying themes. They also discuss a real life case that mirrored what happens in the movie.
New interview with critic Ellen E. Jones (2026, 13 mins): Jones argues the film is about white-male bonding, discussing unified bigotries and class divide on show. Thought provoking essay.
New interview with Erica Wexler, daughter of screenwriter Norman Wexler (2026, 16 mins): Fascinating insight into the screenwriter. Ms Wexler discusses her father’s troubled upbringing with mental illness and his various idiosyncrasies.
Theatrical trailers with optional audio commentaries from actor and producer Marc Edward Heuck: Surprisingly this short four minute commentary provided a lot of insight. Heuck speaks about how the film was re-edited around Boyle’s Joe.
Limited Edition booklet featuring new writing from Adam Nayman
Special Features:
Transmission is releasing the film on bluray on 14 September, 2026.