Joe (2014)

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2382396/

A boy-story, with a young man finding an unlikely mentor and hero in a violent but compassionate ex-con. Nicolas Cage is surprisingly good in this title role (although much of the grunting and shouting in the dialogue seems perfectly in line with his most recent other roles) and there is good and believable chemistry between him and others. Tye Sheridan as the boy is excellent, but is potentially being typecast in the troubled-young-man-finds-unlikely-mentor role (see the excellent Mud (2012) and a similar pattern for his co-star from there). Overall, this film and story feel like well-worn territory, but this iteration is pretty good.