Josie (2018) Poster

(2018)

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6/10
Kept Me Engaged Throughout But Premise is Preposterous
larrys330 May 2018
Looks like I'm in the minority here and I know it's not for everyone, but I did find this indie rather engaging and clever, that is if you don't think about the premise too much which is preposterous for sure.

Why is a very sexy teen (Sophie Turner), who has just moved in to a motel, coming on to her new neighbor (Dylan McDermott), who is much older than her and quite shy and lonely, with his best friends being two pet tortoises?

As the movie progressed, I pretty much figured out why, but that didn't prepare me for its most violent finale. I found this film kept me interested throughout its duration and wondering where it all was going to end up.

To note, there were no subtitles on my DVD copy obtained at Redbox, but I was able to access them through the closed captioned option on my remote.
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6/10
"The Weakness of Man"
Kamurai257 October 2020
Good watch, could watch again, but can't really recommend.

This movie is a slow burn all the way through, just how it is, not good or bad, but some people don't like that.

This is also a "mystery, not mystery" type of movie, where there is clearly something up from the very beginning that the audience is waiting on the movie to explain, but it happens slowly over the course of the movie, drip-feeding information ("Stoker" is a great movie that does that really well), but their isn't a detective character specifically trying to uncover the hidden details.

The movie does some really good misdirection to lead on about certain aspects of the mystery, but most of the movie is Sophie Turner chatting up the guys in one capacity or another.

While I think it's a good movie, I can see a lot of people not being interested in this one.
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6/10
good acting, terrible script
byronfrazier113 August 2018
Warning: Spoilers
Acting in this film is very good even from the supporting cast, but the plot was done poorly. The fact the shes getting justice for her dad who was innocent of a crime he didn't commit makes sense up until the point Josie frames a guy for a murder he didn't commit. Josie shows no remorse for this and just moves on to the next guard which really doesn't make sense, its not like they are responsible for her dad being convicted or that they enjoyed killing her father.
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3/10
Not a great film, I'm afraid.
kevcoe17 March 2018
Yes, the performances are decent (Sophie Turner acts better than she even did in Game Of Thrones and Dylan Mcdermott shows, once again, that he's a hugely under-rated actor) but it's rather slow and uninvolving and the 'big twist' is so blindingly obvious...
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6/10
I liked it accept for one thing...
Meeka_Meek3 May 2021
Warning: Spoilers
I actually enjoy this movie and didn't see the twist coming. I didn't think I was gonna like it at first because There was little diversity but I actually ended up liking the movie a lot. The only thing I didn't appreciate was how it was pretty contradictory that Josie Was supposed to be this vigilante for avenging her father for being innocent- but she framed Marcus for Hanks murder and NOW he will be the innocent man in prison and potentially have the same fate as her father. I found it pretty hypocritical. Other than that it was a good watch.
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4/10
Took a punt on this one, but unfortunately lost out
ramonster_uk20 March 2018
I probably wouldn't bother with this movie if I had known how below average it was like beforehand. It isn't terrible, but it is slow, the plot twist (if you an call it that) became completely evident once Hank revealed the job he used to do and the movie just lacked any real depth. Save yourself 90 minutes and give something else a go. Similar movies are about like this one, but done much better - The Hand That Rocks The Cradle, Hard Candy, Lady Vengeance to name a few
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6/10
Turner really good
kosmasp29 October 2021
Pun maybe intended - having seen so much of Sophie Turner (though it boils down to GoT and X-Men) I was not expecting to see her in a low budget thriller like this. And while there is no nudity to speak of, she plays quite the sexual charged individual. Also there is a scene where you can overhear ... a sexual encounter or whatever you want to call it. Not sure if that is something of interest for you, but now know.

Having said all that, the movie is quite slow paced - and has quite the interesting and in my opinion very strong ending ... a shame the rest of the movie did not quite live up to that. Dylan McDermott also delivers the goods and I reckon quite a few viewers will feel for and with him - most of the time. A decent thriller, very well shot.
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4/10
Not terrible but falls short
franklindf20 August 2018
Wasn't too thrilled with this mainly because I thought it was overly simplistic, like a Lifetime movie or something made for TV. It's nothing too original, and it's not believable in any capacity. It's like they took some half-baked plot and just executed the thing for a payday. The production quality and acting were ok - it was really just the plot that didn't satisfy me. People mention this movie has a twist - well to me that was mostly just a gimmick because it didn't seem suitable or compatible with the characters. Something that was an aside, I believe the turtles in the movie were unhealthy. Their shells show a condition known as "pyramiding" which happens if they are malnourished. It doesn't mean they are starving but they don't have enough calcium or vitamin D which promote healthy bone growth. The shell should be flat and smooth but when they don't get the right diet, the keratin production gets affected and the pyramiding can happen.
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7/10
Grim Saga in the Pink Motel
lavatch3 June 2018
Warning: Spoilers
It would have been intriguing to film "Josie" in black-and-white, as the film could have been a throwback to film noir. But, as a color film, there was a realistic aura to the tawdry rooms at the Pink Motel, dilapidated vehicles, and half-emptied whiskey bottles. Because the screenplay lacked pizazz, the film atmosphere might have given "Josie" a much needed boost.

The star of the show is Dylan McDermott as a poor schlub named Hank. He formerly worked in a prison as a guard assisting with executions of death row inmates in Huntsville, Texas. But because he has a conscience, he is haunted by one the victims who was proven innocent following his execution. Now, "Hanky Panky" (as one of his fellow residents calls him) is working as a parking guard at a local high school, where the students apparently taunt him.

When young Josie (Sophie Turner) arrives at the low-rent Pink Motel, Hank's life changes when she takes an interest in him. Is she sincere? Or, is she a femme fatale out of film noir? Turner does a good job in keeping Hank (and the audience) guessing about her character. She never looks like a high school student. But that may have been an intentional choice on the part of the filmmakers.

The film turns on a single scene where there is a startling revelation. The moment is unexpected and cleverly designed by the director. While "Josie' is not an innovative film, it was nonetheless watchable and well-performed by the two leads.
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2/10
Trying to find the substance of this film
battlebuckships18 March 2018
Just finished watching, It was boring with nothing going on through out the film, this deserves a few rotten tomatoes. Dylan McDermott and the rest of the actors were as always, fantastic! But the story was empty and went nowhere. Just another rush job from Hollywood. Don't waste you money.
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8/10
"There is no such thing as justice, all the best that we can hope for is revenge."
Karmylla5 May 2018
(Quote by Emilie Autumn)

Honestly, I don't understand why this movie got such negative reviews, I full-heartedly enjoyed it, from start to finish. I feel this film has been wrongfully reviewed and, as such, decided to dedicate it my first ever movie review, so understand that I am not a Movie Critic or connoisseur, I merely enjoy them.

To me, watching this movie was very much like reading a book: the passing was excellent, the introduction of the characters was fluid, the environments were scarce, yes, but they were well structured in the narrative, all good things that came together with a very curious story.

To put it in simple words: the story surrounds Hank, a lone man who likes fishing and only wishes to live a quiet life with his two tortoises. The only people he interacts with are some of his neighbours: an oldish couple, Gordie and Martha, and Romero, only because they try to talk to him and open him up to the community.

Hanks' dull life transforms when Josie, a transplanted high school student, rents the house right across from his and enters his life very suddenly, shedding light all around.

As the story progresses, you learn more about Hank and the people in his life, and how high school kids will always be insufferable, and how strange human relationships are, and then... The twist!

You see, there is a reason why Hank is the way he is, there is a reason why Josie went to that Southern town, and there is a reason I really enjoyed this movie...!

I will not spoil it for any of you because I feel I don't need to in order for you, the reader, to be interested in this movie - but I will tell you that I was NOT expecting that twist, damn! It was phenomenal!

What I thought the story was about, it derailed me and left me speechless, I was completely blown away, something that doesn't happen in most movies nowadays. Maybe I'm not as smart as the other reviewers, but I was pleasantly surprised with the ending.

And the actors were terrifying in their performances, they lived their characters' stories so well, Sophie Turner and Dylan McDermott were perfect for their role, as well as all the other minor characters - I specially enjoyed Robin Bartlett's character, Martha.

In short, kudos to all involved with the making of this movie, I truly enjoyed it, I really did. Incredible storytelling, performances, setting, the music is great as well, there is so much to love! Thank you.

"But then, why only rate it eight stars?" Well, although I really enjoyed the story and the characters, there were minor things that bugged me and although the ending was astounding, I felt it was rushed, a bit. One can argue that, contrasting with the slow place of the film, suddenly having the final minutes of it jumping in your face like that, causes a bigger impact - I suppose maybe that's why the ending is still so vivid in my mind?

And - talking about the ending, again - I would have preferred if it had been Josie talking in the end instead of Hank, I think it would have suited the story best, for various reasons (watch the movie and tell me if I'm wrong!). But maybe that's also why Hank's voice was chosen. In the end, who is this story about?

Give this movie a chance, please, if you like good storytelling and complex characters.

I'm telling you right now, you will not be disappointed!
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7/10
Finally something new in the thriller genre.
baunacholi-8615923 November 2021
Warning: Spoilers
Seduction and manipulation vs innocence and tragedy.

A real and grown up movie - slow paced, very well told, a great level of foreshadowing Desaster and yet unexpected in it's climax and twist. Plus, emotionally refined acting with 2 convincing leads delivering an interesting character study.
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1/10
I expected more
jaimegonzales21018 March 2018
Warning: Spoilers
Judging from the people involved, I expected this to be at least a good movie. Instead it turned out to be a preachy anti-death penalty movie that glorified murder, just not when the people getting murdered have been convicted of anything. To be clear, the movie goes out of its way several times to denigrate specifically the State of Texas and its use of the death penalty, while it justifies the main character committing murder against people who have not been convicted of any crime whatsoever and who didn't have any primary role in state executions.

Further, as a lifelong Texan, I found it silly that the very distinct Louisiana accent used by the main male character/former Huntsville death row guard was actually claimed to be a "Texas drawl". They should get their money back from the speech coach who lied to them.

The supposedly clarifying scene of an execution attended by a little 4 year old girl whose father was being executed is completely ridiculous on so many levels. They wouldn't allow any child to witness an execution. Period. Much less the child of the person being executed. The people who strap the inmate down probably don't hang around while the actual execution takes place, and they don't actually kill anyone, so why they would be hunted down and killed in revenge for the execution is a mystery. Maybe if the writer had considered the District Attorney, arresting officers, witnesses who helped get the person convicted, even the person who actually pushes the button that kills the convicted inmate would be better targets than the guy who straps the inmates left wrist. That's just dumb.

But really, the movie deserves a low rating because it promotes the favored Hollywood stereotype that Texans sound dumb, look dumb and are dumb. I don't recall Hollywood being around on any jump I ever made. I have never seen Hollywood in any firefight. I have only ever seen Hollywood pretend to be things it is not and then give itself an award for how good it pretends to be things it is not. I am referring to Hollywood in the singular although it is made up of a lot of pretentious and self absorbed persons who do things like preach about the death penalty and make fun of Texans.

Audie Murphy was from Texas. In World War Two he received every combat medal for valor available from the U.S. Army, along with French and Belgian medals. He also received the Congressional Medal of Honor. I never seen Hollywood get any of those. He didn't look dumb, sound dumb and was not actually dumb. He was also not pretentious and self absorbed.

If Hollywood wants to pretend to be someone that looks dumb, sounds dumb and is dumb they should just be themselves.
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2/10
Don't waste your time.
grindd-5391317 March 2018
Awful movie with a terrible plot that has very little if any believable aspects to it.
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7/10
Wait for it
toushik-9274024 September 2018
I was stunned at the end. Good story line. Never saw it coming.
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2/10
2 stars for the turtles
oldchunkofcoal15 March 2019
Do yourself a favor and skip this one. Not going to go into why this movie was bad it just was. From the horrible script I seen coming from a mile away and not to mention it was a very hypocritical script at that. I love Sophie in GOT but she should DEF pick better movies. This was just pathetic!
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7/10
There's a fly in the plot line I can't digest
krice232 July 2020
Warning: Spoilers
I am not here to write a full review of the movie, although I Liked it well enough, points off for one thing. A flaw in the basic premise. Why go after the guards? The prosecutor, the police, his defense attorney, the 12 members of the jury, the judge(s) who either sentenced him or denied his death row appeals, hell, even the governor who withheld their power to commute his sentence... ok, I can understand her desire to exact revenge against any or all of Them. They are, after all, the actual people responsible for her fathers execution. They Are the people who "put him there". But the guards in the chamber who merely carried out that sentence? No. No, They didn't decide his guilt or innocence and they certainly bore no responsibility for the miscarriage of justice which put him there that day to destroy her innocence and trigger the revenge she sought. No, the guards, the way I see it, were just there to do their jobs and carry out the sentence others had imposed. One could make an argument they were also victims of the broken justice system as they were also betrayed by a system that put them in the position of unknowingly leading an innocent man to his demise when they, in good faith, believed him to be fairly convicted. Was Hank not haunted by this man's death, so strongly that he quit his job and lived his life like a guilty man? They didn't attend the trial. They didn't argue on either side of his case. They didn't give testimony as eyewitness to his guilt or innocence. They didn't serve in the jury and vote to convict him. They sure didn't sentence him, which was, after all, the final say in the matter. So her revenge seems tainted and it loses any "poetry" it might have enjoyed if it had been directed at any or all of them. And in the final scene the director might have saved the plot rationalization had her next "victim" been any of those truly responsible. But I don't see someone hating the guards and wanting them to pay. And Marcus? Why Marcus? Did she just frame him and ruin his life, effectively doing to him what had been done to her father, for the fun of it? She wears a ying-yang pendant on her neck but fails to grasp this little injustice she, herself caused? Like they say, God, or the devil, is in the details. And this little detail, both of them, ruin the entire premise and spoil the degree to which you can call this a realistic story. If they'd gotten that right it would have been a completely satisfying viewing because the basic idea, as well as the outstanding performances, were all excellent, even noteworthy. While it may not sound like it, I did enjoy the movie, but these Two Little Details upset the whole apple cart as far as I'm concerned. With that said, I still gave it a 7. Worth the watch.
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4/10
Decent film up until the terrible ending.
drgreenthumb100127 March 2018
Warning: Spoilers
McDermotts acting is great in this, but I digress.

A few days before I watched this film, I tried had an argument on social media over what I view as Americans lacking ethics and a strong moral base.

This movie is a classic example of that. Im sorry, but Josie taking out her Fathers murderous wishes in revenge, makes her no better than anyone else, in fact, she is the one who needs locked up and the needle stuck in her arm.

Let me put it to you this way, Josie blaming prison guards for her innocent father being put to death, is like being mad at the police for enforcing the law. Example: Should cops be stomping all over poeples rights, seizing their cash and property, arresting them and throwing them in jail all because of a little pot? A vast majority of Americans think No, but our out of touch, Oligarchs in Washington DC, dont care what we want, so they have the police do their "dirty work".

My point is, the protagonist in this movie is a moron who thinks that the people to blame for her Father being put to death are the SECURITY GUARDS at the prison, and not the politicians, scumbag lawyers, judges, and people in power who railroaded her Father.

To add to the sheer absurdity that she would even get away with this, is the back-handed insults at the expense of Texas was unnecessary and just more Hollywood bigotry towards red states, which the hateful Hollywood bigots want seen as normalized. Maybe Hollywood should try treating people they look down on, like woman for instance, with respect.
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She's no pussycat; Pretty good but disappointed with ending
vchimpanzee29 August 2021
Sophie Tucker is very good. While she comes across as a rebel she's actually very nice. Or seems to be. Given the reality of her situation, which she never explains until the end, giving people different stories, Josie is an amazing actress. I didn't find her all that pretty but she's always wearing short shorts or a swimsuit and trying to be flirty, though she's very subtle. She is quite intelligent and I see a career in her future, if she can just get past all her obstacles and get an education. Well, at least that's what I would have said. I can't say why but Tucker gives very different performances in her final scenes from what we have seen so far.

I didn't recognize Dylan McDermott, and that's a good thing. At one point I realized he looked familiar. I'm not a fan, but that's not important. He was either Eric McCormack or Dylan McDermott or just looked like one of them. The fact I didn't know shows how good an actor he is. He never really gets angry, and while he's not very social, Hank is a gentleman and he will open up to those he feels comfortable with. It just takes a while.

Kurt Fuller is familiar for some reason. He's kind of a jerk and occasionally suggests he's one of these Trump supporters who wants to keep America great, but he's not overdone.

Robin Bartlett is really likable when you think she's just being friendly, with kind of an Edie McClurg personality and a "Fargo" accent, but she also shows a nosy side. She comes across really differently when she is genuinely concerned and not just meddling.

There is a variety of music. Amazingly, Josie likes country music, meaning the real stuff. Knowing what I know about her now, maybe not. But Hank likes it and while nothing is familiar, the country music here is a hundred times better than what is played on the typical FM "country" station in 2021. The young people like heavy metal. With the closing credits there are two songs. One is loud alternative rock with a talented female lead but not metal. The other ... I don't know what to say about it. It sounds like blues rock that was meant to be played at 33 but was played at 16 instead through a speaker designed by aliens. It's absolutely terrible and I was grateful I record everything so I could fast-forward.

It goes without saying this isn't family friendly. As is usually the case, I saw a version where all the bad language was taken out, and it appeared there was a lot of it. A little girl sees something she's not supposed to see, but we don't actually see it. We just know what is going to happen and wonder why a little girl would be there. And then there is a dramatic plot twist that includes something so violent it was blurred on my TV screen.

Other than the ending, this seems like a formula movie, but one that would seem better than average because of the lead actors. Some people say they saw the ending coming. I'm not good at that, and that helps me enjoy movies like this more. I certainly didn't want it to end like that, but ... Wow, the final final scene was amazing.

Don't expect too much and you won't be disappointed.
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6/10
What happened to Josie's father happened to Marcus
DrDumb13 February 2024
Warning: Spoilers
As what the title indicates, it's like a circle: innocent people are always victimised. Did I feel sorry for Hank? Maybe a little, he was deeply tormented by what happened to the prisoner in the past knowing that he was not guilty but Hank couldn't help him. But Hank should have helped the prisoner by telling the others to avoid being executed while he didn't. If he did, Josie might spare him. This is what the world is today: people know what is wrong but they choose to ignore it, some even embrace it so more people fell victim to it, just like the circle in the movie. By the way it was really difficult for Sofie Turner to speak in American English. She's from the UK so why not just letting her use her British accent?
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1/10
Absolute waste of time
sukrancetik59 July 2018
Absolute waste of time unless you like to torture yourself. Decent acting but pointless plot. Hollywood just want to earn money as usual. Whatever they do some will watch and try to find some meaning anyway. But they keep loosing their credit day by day. Even IMDB scores can't save them.
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8/10
Why the hate?
hcampbell-7047325 July 2018
I really don't understand the hate for this film. Great performances from both leads, solid plot, strong supporting performances. It's not perfect and it's a little slow at times but it's far better than some dreck that gets glowing reviews on here.
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6/10
Not great but worth watching
spamade23 March 2019
Warning: Spoilers
I really enjoyed the first hour of this. I couldn't tell where it was going to lead, and was fully engaged with the characters. I thought Sophie Turner was excellent. The last 20 minutes however ruined an otherwise good movie. The whole premise that this teenage girl could somehow track down the prison guards that assisted in her fathers' execution, seems incredibly far-fetched. To then have the resources to travel around the country killing them one by one and getting away with it is a stretch too far.
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1/10
Idiotic & disconnected hipocritical SJW trash
helcal29 March 2018
Warning: Spoilers
1) Revenge for supposedly an undeserved punishment, while doing the same thing for which revenge is sought, framing a surely innocent person. 2) Court bailiffs painted as the bad guys for some idiotic reason, when they are not in any way contributors to the supposedly wrong sentencing of the prisoner.

No redeeming factors. Absolute waste of time. Knew that "c" letter missing in the word "production" in the very beginning was a red flag.
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5/10
A long walk to a short tale
petkanasw2 February 2021
This seems like a it's going to be a good film, Sophie Turner is terrific as the delicious young thing and Dylan McDermott does a fine loner-with-a-past. The setting of the motel is sufficiently interesting, the kind of goofy neighbors are perfectly played... but it goes nowhere for 114 minutes. Things happen that add up to nothing, and then something happens which takes about nine minutes to unfold and it's good-- it just took so long to get there! If you want to drink in the scenery, have fun. Or, go 10 minutes in and skip to 104 minutes and save some time.
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