Joker

Joker

Starring Joaquin Phoenix, Robert De Niro, Zazie Beetz, Frances Conroy

Directed by Todd Phillips

The Story:
In a crime-ridden Gotham City, Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix) works as a clown and struggling comedian who lives with his elderly mother Penny (Frances Conroy) in a run-down apartment complex, and suffers from Pseudobulbar - causing him to laugh at inopportune times.  He sees a psychiatrist who doesn't seem to care, and gets by with taking pills and avoiding most social interactions except his neighbor Sophie (Zazie Beetz) and watching talk show host Murray Franklin (Robert De Niro) on the television with his mother.

Fleck suffers a series of unfortunate events that leads him beaten up, without a job, and suffering more from mental disorders that ultimately result in him murdering a group of thugs who assault him on the train, which leads him spiraling downward into a dark world that threatens to consume him and everyone around him, as he slowly emerges as the Joker.

The Synopsis:
2019 has been a stellar year for films, and also has its share of controversies.  During the film festival circuit, "Joker" received standing ovations, was hailed as a modern-day masterpiece, and even won the coveted Golden Lion award at the Venice Film Festival.  It seemed like it would become this generation's "Taxi Driver," but before the film was even released to the public it faced backlash by people who believed the film glorified the "lone shooter" narrative that threatened to tank the film even before being released to the winder movie-going audience.  Theaters brought in police officers for fears of theater shootings, and even some theaters refused to sell tickets to single people who wanted to see the movie alone.  In a strange way, it seemed that "Joker" stepped out of the screen and became reality - showcasing a world deeply flawed, emotional, and always prepared for the worst.

The character of Joker has been a mainstay in pop culture since his introduction in the 1940 Batman comic, and has served to be the Dark Knight's greatest villain for the last eighty years, but the character himself has become an enigma - nothing is known about his life beforehand, as even the stories Joker tells about himself cannot be trusted due to his incarnate lying nature, so basically his life is a clean slate that can be created and re-created at will.  In films, we've seen different types of Jokers - the slapstick, the crime lord, the gangster, and the one who "just wants to watch the world burn."  You don't have to adhere to the typical origin story narrative - you can make Joker whatever you want to be, and that's what's completely unique about the character.

For this Joker, director Todd Phillips gives him a real name - Arthur Fleck - and a real backstory.  He's a struggling clown who's constantly picked on and looked down upon, and struggles to be a comedian, who lives in a run-down apartment complex with his mentally ill mother.  In a way, he is the embodiment of the 99% - the forgotten, abused, neglected, hopeless.  So in a sense I can see why people were worried that the film would glorify his violence and hail him as an anti-hero, but that's not the case.  While we see Arthur taking beating after beating (both physically and mentally), there's not a sense of pity for him, but rather a strange awestruck wonder as to how this character can even be.  This Joker doesn't want to be a political figure or mob boss - he just wants to bring happiness to the world and feels that there's too much negativity and meanness, and his method to stop it is ironically the same things he despises.

Although Todd Phillips said he didn't make the film to reflect the current state of affairs, it's downright difficult to separate the two, especially considering the hostile climate we live in today.  Mass shootings are almost a monthly occurrence.  The rich keep getting richer while the poor and downtrodden keep getting worse.  We treat our mental ailments with more and more pills.  An anarchy is approaching as the 1% and the 99%, and it seems "Joker" really showcases all of these modern fears and issues head-on, but in a world and time where it's more anarchy than order.   

Joaquin Phoenix is the perfect choice for this iteration of the Joker, as he totally envelops the role and becomes almost unrecognizable even without the clown makeup.  You see the loss, the devastation, the utter hopelessness and sadness in his eyes and mannerisms, and his wild body transformation as he turned into a near-skeletal entity that dances through the most sadistic moments like he's in a musical whose tune only he hears.  It's pure, unholy magic we see on screen as he slowly transforms from shy, reserved Arthur Fleck to the maniacal, unstoppable Joker, and his role will easily be studied for decades to come when it comes to the perfect art of acting.  His dance down the stairs will become as iconic as "you talkin' to me?" and the sheer visual of his transformation is downright chill-inducing.  There was hardly a moment of brevity in this film, and served to be the perfect psychological thriller from start to finish, and a massive character study on a character we've known for the last eighty years, and hopefully Phoenix will be awarded richly come awards season, because his performance here is astonishing and legendary.

The cinematography of "Joker" is exceptional and timeless, even though it feels like you're watching a story taking place in the 70s with some of the interior designs, yet the lens and hues used create a wholly dark atmosphere that you'd expect from Gotham City.  The music score swells and ebbs as the film progresses, and adds to the deep uncertainty and uncomfortable feeling you as a viewer feel, and both of these only add to the deep sense of dread you feel from the very opening moments to the earth-shattering climax.  Each moment on screen is pitch perfect, and not a moment was wasted or misused.

You can tell Phillips took inspiration for this Joker from Scorsese films like "Taxi Driver" and "The King of Comedy" not just in the visceral storytelling, but casting Robert De Niro as the Johnny Carson-like talk show host that Fleck admired from afar (especially considering De Niro's role in "The King of Comedy" where he was a demented comedian who stalked a famous talk show host) was a stroke of pure genius.  De Niro offers a tremendous performance on his own, and his interaction with Fleck was the true highlight of the film, as it was filled with tension and uncertainty, and their scenes together were the ones that has stuck with me the most due to the powerful work of Phoenix and De Niro who both performed at the best of their abilities.

It's ultimately the most interesting fact that a film of this caliber was directed by Todd Phillips - whose previous directorial work include "Old School," "Starsky & Hutch," "The Hangover Trilogy," and "Due Date" - who proves that anyone can produce a top-notch film with a solid script, compelling characters, and stunning visuals and music.  If this film wasn't about the famed Joker (honestly, the scenes involving other famed Batman characters were the times I was detached from the film) and instead centered on a man struggling with mental illness in a cold and heartless world, it would've been just as effective - but nowhere near as profitable.  The film does well to stay away from the typical "comic book film" and delivers a very gritty, dark, unforgettable character study that'll stand the test of time, much like the film's main character.

The Summary:
One of those rare films that can truly be hailed a masterpiece, "Joker" steps above its divisive topic and delivers a deep, personal, powerful character study on one of pop culture's most iconic villains and provides the best performance ever by Joaquin Phoenix.

The Score: A+