Matthew McConaughey Is Killer Joe

''We never asked, 'Are these characters white trash?''' says producer Nicolas Chartier of his black comedy Killer Joe, which follows a Texas drug dealer (Emile Hirsch, inset, with costars Gina Gershon, Thomas Haden Church, and Juno Temple) who hires a gentlemanly hitman (McConaughey, above) to kill his mother. The film (out next year) is based on Tracy Letts' 1998 sleaze-gothic play. ''Tracy doesn't judge his characters,'' says Chartier, ''and neither do we.'' If you think it all sounds a bit Coen-esque, you're right. ''Blood Simple and Fargo crossed our minds,'' he says. ''Twisted is the operative word.''