If nothing else - It was so plain to see that 1970's "Joe" (an all-American, redneck flag-waver?) was a clear blueprint for 1976's "Taxi Driver". Yep. With just a few variations on the theme, these 2 films were almost identical in the nature of their story-lines.
And, just like Taxi Driver's Travis Bickle character, the character of Joe Curran in this production was hardly an interesting enough person for this twisted tale to base its entire plot-line on the likes of him and his blindly hateful actions.
In one way "Joe" could, very likely, be looked upon as being a disgruntled viewer's step-by-step guide on how to deal with the annoyance of a generation gap, especially when it comes to dealing with hippies.
Yeah. And what better way to get those despicable hippies to co-operate with you, than to aim a loaded rifle right at their heads. (Hey! Talk about "flower power", man!)
Anyway - "Joe" (now 45 years old) was a very dated picture. And any relevance that it may seem to hold for today's audiences hangs very precariously by a single thread.
*Note* - "Joe" was directed by film-maker John Avildsen who (six years later) would triumphantly go on to direct "Rocky" in 1976.
And, just like Taxi Driver's Travis Bickle character, the character of Joe Curran in this production was hardly an interesting enough person for this twisted tale to base its entire plot-line on the likes of him and his blindly hateful actions.
In one way "Joe" could, very likely, be looked upon as being a disgruntled viewer's step-by-step guide on how to deal with the annoyance of a generation gap, especially when it comes to dealing with hippies.
Yeah. And what better way to get those despicable hippies to co-operate with you, than to aim a loaded rifle right at their heads. (Hey! Talk about "flower power", man!)
Anyway - "Joe" (now 45 years old) was a very dated picture. And any relevance that it may seem to hold for today's audiences hangs very precariously by a single thread.
*Note* - "Joe" was directed by film-maker John Avildsen who (six years later) would triumphantly go on to direct "Rocky" in 1976.