Released: October 2019
Director: Todd Phillips
Rated R
Run Time: 122 Minutes
Distributor: Warner Bros.
Genre: Drama
Cast:
Joaquin Phoenix: Arthur Fleck
Robert De Niro: Murray Franklin
Zazie Beetz: Sophie Domund
Frances Conroy: Penny Fleck
Brett Cullen: Thomas Wayne
It’s been often, and I’ve mentioned it more than once, that a superhero is only as good as his or her villain. In the Marvel world, we’ve got villains like Loki, The Mandarin, Thanos, Hela, Green Goblin, Magneto, and Ultron. While some of those characters are interesting, at least on the outside, DC’s side of things paint a very different picture of their villains. Superman has folks like Zod, Lex Luthor, Brainiac, and Darkseid. While each of those villains on the surface may seem very threatening, when you dig beneath the surface, these characters offer a lot more and are generally more frightening than what you see on the surface. But when it comes to a Rogue’s Gallery, Batman has the best: The Penguin, The Riddler, Catwoman, Two-Face, Bane, Mad Hatter, Poison Ivy, Mr. Freeze, and Deadshot. But the one villain that truly defines Batman as a character is none other than the Joker. This character is essentially the polar opposite of everything that Batman stands for: Law and order. The Joker thrives on chaos and anarchy. There have been a lot of actors to portray Gotham’s Clown Prince of Crime: Cesar Romero, Jack Nicholson, Mark Hamill(voice), Heath Ledger, and Jared Leto. Well, we’ve got another character giving his unique spin on the character: Joaquin Phoenix. This is Joker.
Joker follows Arthur Fleck, a struggling stand-up comedian that works as a party clown on the side just to pay the bills. The opening of the film sees Arthur getting brutally attacked by a group of kids in 1970s/80s Gotham City. Arthur struggles to entertain people all the while dealing with severe mental issues. He sees a therapist that clearly has no interest in anything that he says, even when he’s asking for more medication to help him through the day. He also lives with his narcissistic mother. One day, he loses his job as a party clown and everything spirals downward from there, leading him down a tragic path. It’s really hard to discuss the story of Joker without going into spoilers. Ultimately, the film is about a broken man who has been pushed aside by a severely broken society. Fleck has been his best to remain on the straight-and-narrow, but with each bad day that he has, he begins to lose control. For a lot of people, explaining the origins of the Joker would seem blasphemous, as it were. Here’s the thing, though: There’s no real definitive origin story, and as the character has said in the comics, it’s all a matter of multiple choice. It’s really interesting, though, having a film take us on a very dark and twisted journey trying to explain why the Joker is the way he is. While I don’t think Joker is the definitive Joker story, it does shed a light on not just what makes the Joker tick, but also the circumstances that brought him to that conclusion. I loved the way the story was presented here. It’s really engaging from the word go.
Let’s talk about the performances here. Everybody does a great job with what they’ve got. You’ve got Zazie Beetz as the potential love interest for Fleck, and she does a really good job as a sympathetic character. Robert De Niro is phenomenal as Murray Franklin, a talk show host. He’s definitely playing against type here, as his character is one of those smug assholes on TV that you just want to smack upside the head. Ultimately, though, the film is centered around Arthur Fleck and Joaquin Phoenix’s performance. I’ve been a fan of Phoenix’s for a while now and his turn as the Joker in this film is one for the ages. The amount of work and effort that Joaquin puts into his roles is nothing short of astounding. This guy is truly a master of the craft. He lost a lot of weight to give Fleck that gaunt, semi-stick-figure look that the Joker is usually known for. He also did research into what is known as the Psuedobulbar Effect, which is a condition that causes uncontrollable laughing or crying. Phoenix incorporates this into his character, giving him that maniacal cackle that’s synonymous with the Joker. Joaquin also has this really amazing ability to communicate feelings through his eyes. When you see him glare at somebody or something, you get a feeling that there’s something about to break off with this guy, which of course, it does. It’s all the little details and mannerisms that Phoenix pays attention to that makes this character feel incredibly real and yet relatable at the same time.
I have to bring this up, because it’s been a part of the news for the past couple of weeks leading up to the release of Joker. There’s been a lot of press releases and articles declaring that Joker glorifies gun violence and mental illness. Having seen the film, I can honestly tell you that these so-called “journalists” are lying through their teeth. Is Joker violent? Yes, but not in the traditional sense, especially if you’re referring to gun violence. In fact, there’s really very little in the way of gun violence here. I would even hesitate to call the film “ultra-violent.” The violence of the film has more to do with how Arthur is responding to the world around him and how he feels as a person. It’s also more about society’s rejection of those that aren’t as well-off as others. That leads to some pretty severe consequences, both in the film and in every day life. Because the film is more of a character study about a guy’s decent into madness, it makes sense that the film doesn’t really have a lot of physical violence. That’s why when the physical violence DOES happen, it’s shocking and not very entertaining. The violence in this film is brutal, but it’s not without purpose. What also helps the film is the cinematography. The Gotham that this film is set in is a dirty and grungy city that’s bordering on total anarchy. The colors really do pop-out when they’re supposed to and make it that much more surreal at times. The film’s music and score also really add to the dread, foreboding, and atmosphere of the entire picture. It’s truly haunting and can be disturbing at times.
Does the film have a message? Oh, yeah. The film is targeting society that’s allowed certain people to fall through the cracks because of a complete lack of empathy. In fact, the film spits in the face of the critics that think this movie is dangerous and promotes gun violence. The film has definitely succeeded in riling up all those SJW’s and journalists that aren’t taking the time to consider that maybe a lack of empathy is what’s really wrong with this world. I’m actually really glad that Warner Bros. let Todd Phillips keep the R-rating for this film. It’s earned it, and it shows that sometimes a studio needs to push back against critics. Todd Phillips comes from comedy like The Hangover, so seeing him direct a film like this was a huge shock, and he nails it out of the park. It’s one of the most engaging and emotionally powerful films released this year. Joaquin Phoenix absolutely nails it as the infamous clown. I honestly hope that this film starts a trend with comic book movies being allowed to be more than just spectacle films. This is a serious film that tackles serious issues in a fairly realistic way. Yeah, it can be disturbing at times and shocking at others. But at no point is this film not engaging. It keeps you hooked from beginning to end. Will it be for everybody? No. For people expecting a traditional Batman-style film with lots of action are going to be sorely disappointed. This is not the film for those folks. It’s a slow-burner with some real pay-off at the end of it all. I can’t really think of any negatives for this picture. It’s absolutely one of my favorite films of the year, and if Phoenix doesn’t got nominated for an Academy Award, it would be criminal.
My Final Recommendation: 10/10