A few thoughts: A sharp and angry movie with a message that could easily be misunderstood, this is one of the first ever films produced by Cannon, and an unconventional now-cult film about lower-middle class aggression. It's strange watching a movie like this now, seeing how much and how little has actually changed, but trying to picture something like this coming out now is almost impossible to imagine. This is too biting and controversial in an unconventional sense for modern audiences to fully get it, which is a real shame. Peter Boyle is great as the titular Joe, an angry racist who latches onto a rich man (who accidentally killed a drug dealer) and uses him as an inspiration to take on the system he hates in a more direct way than just sitting in a dingy bar shouting about how the world has gone to the dogs. A strangely assembled film with bizarre cuts and plenty of unexpected turns, but the main point is the showcase for this character. Very dark and violent -- even when there isn't any actual violence.
Anyone who wants to be sucked into a particular '70s mood, fans of very morbid satire (like an older version of Bobcat Goldthwait's "God Bless America").
My grade: B-
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