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).
When the hippy-hating Joe discovers his new friend is telling the truth, he begins to ingratiate himself into Compton’s life, and despite their vastly different backgrounds the two men find themselves developing a rapport based around their shared fear and disdain of the counter culture, an uneasy alliance that will eventually have devastating consequences.
Directed by John G Avildsen (Rocky) from a typically trenchant Norman Wexler (Saturday Night Fever, Serpico) screenplay, Joe ruthlessly exposes the dark heart of American society in a shocking, darkly satirical depiction of the fierce cultural battleground of the USA at the beginning of the 1970s, and the violent death of the hippy dream.
BLU-RAY LIMITED EDITION SPECIAL FEATURES
UK Blu-ray premiere
High definition digital transfer
Original uncompressed mono audio
Newly recorded audio commentary with critics Matt Zoller Seitz and Jason Bailey
New interview with critic Ellen E. Jones
Theatrical trailers with optional audio commentaries by actor and producer Marc Edward Heuck
Stills gallery
Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
Limited Edition booklet featuring new writing from Adam Nayman
Limited edition of 3000 copies, presented in and full-height Scanavo packaging with O-card and removable OBI strip leaving packaging free of certificates and markings