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At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

Great story, amazing characters, superb action, enthralling cinematography. Yes, this is something I am glad I spent money on.

This movie was, firstly, nothing like what all the summaries, plots, etc. The mother wasn't abusive at all; maybe a bit neglectful, but I would call even that a stretch. In fact, the only 'abuse' is once when the father swats him, and we hear about the second time, when the brother tells Joe that his father punched their mother. Neglect, yeah, there's a lot of that. Were they crappy parents? Yeah, definitely. But to make it out like this kid 'suffers horrible abuse' is just insultingly ridiculous. Secondly, there was not a single character in this whole film who I really cared about at all. The parents were stupid, dense, and thick, the brother was willing to turn his back on Joe at any time, the teacher (played by a very disappointing Ethan Hawke) was -at least this was my impression, I'm sure people will disagree -a retarded moron, who didn't really care about Joe at all, the people at his job who alternate between nice and 'evil horrible monsters' so quickly it's not believable, and Joe's friends who end up betraying him, or turning their back on him. Again, most of this firm is unbelievable. Almost all of the characters go from evil demons to loving saints at some point, mostly in the blink of an eye. I also believe that the so called 'abuse' in this story helps perpetuate a large part of what is wrong with America today. There are real kids out there, who live in constant hell, not knowing whether or not today will be the day a family member takes the abuse too far and kills them. But I have continually seen films like this, and often times in real life, where a kid mouths off, his parent swats him, and it's 'OH MY GOD, THEY BEAT THE POOR CHILD!'. No. Joe had it pretty damn light compared to a lot of kids. All that aside... There still was not a single redeeming quality. Not even Joe himself. The boy brought on ninety percent of his own problems by being retarded. Horrible, horrible movie, with nothing going for it.

I've seen this film in Cinematheque - the best Cinema in Hanoi.A little boy who named Joe make me think about my neighbor. He's a wild boy, he stolen, he's smart, he's scoundrel...He was my friend when i was young.After that, i didn't know about him...He seemed to be a criminal.But he' not a bad man. I can affirm. Sometimes, when i was a filmmaker, i wanted to build my character like him, like my friend. But I couldn't. Until i saw this film, i cried. Cried for my friend and for me.Over me this film impressed so much ! I don't know why this film don't get so many marks.I think it's not a worse film, maybe it got some trouble about slangs.

This movie highlights the horrible effects a dysfunctional family life has on a child. Can we really blame juvenile delinquents for their actions? Or are they the product of their environment? Noah Fleiss did a sensitive portrayal of a boy trapped in impossible circumstances. Yet, remarkably so, he was a strong boy, able to withstand the stabs from his father and non-supportive mother, ultimately landing in very serious trouble for trying to do good.

Joe the King is a coming of age story based loosely on writer-director Frank Whaley's life that looks like a Dickens story updated. Joe is ashamed of his drunken no-account father who's the janitor of the school Joe attends, a fact that his classmates and even a teacher delight in forcing Joe to admit. Joe has to wash dishes to help meet expenses but also to scrounge food to eat. One night his father in a drunken rage beats Joe's mother and smashes her treasured collection of vintage LPs. To replace it, Joe breaks into the restaurant and steals money but is found out and there is a freeze frame ending that recalls Truffaut's French classic, The 400 Blows. Noah Fleiss at 14 is a veteran and does an excellent job of bringing to life the doomed but plucky Joe while Val Kilmer portrays an insensitive slob who realizes only at the end that his son loves him despite everything. Although the theme is a downer there are flashes of comedy (the brash Joe is out of his depth when an older girl puts the make on him). The performances are fine and the movie is well worth seeing.