Directed by: Tod Phillips
Starring: Joaquin Phoenix
Robert De Niro
Brett Cullen
Frances Conway
Zazie Beetz
Written by: Scott Silver
Rated: R
Run time: 118 minutes
(2019)
9.5/10 Would Recommend
As he begins a career as a stand-up comedian in a 1981 Gotham City, sign-spinning street clown Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix), aka Joker, struggles with violent impulses and “negative thoughts.” 2019’s “Joker” origin focuses on Fleck as he is mocked, beaten, and made a fool of, all while trying to discover his true identity in a cruel and unjust world.
The film tells the story of how a questionable man can easily be pushed over the edge and turned bad. “Joker” is just as much of a character study on the Joker as it is on society. Viewers get to look at the Jokers inevitable explosion into the criminal world from a victim’s perspective and witness how the world around him created the maniacal alter-ego of the Joker.
This raises the controversial question of: empathy or sympathy? If there’s one thing made clear about “Joker”, it’s that mental health was the first thing taken into consideration when going into preproduction. Tod Phillips’ Joker takes on the Clown Prince of Gotham in a new and unique way. Rather than simply slap the “over the top gangster” label on him, or leave the questions of his past unanswered, Phillips and writer Scott Silver tackle the Jokers behaviors head-on. In Arkham he’s clinically insane; and that’s a layer of the Joker that hasn’t been shown on the big screen before. The Joker is crazy, and he’s been crazy in other films, but this is the first time that filmmakers explore the crazy side of the Joker on a human level. And it’s the humane part of Fleck that can, at times, make it hard to watch. There are scenes where audiences will feel sorry for him, knowing that, ultimately, he is the bad guy. Phillips pulls at the heart strings of audience’s by making viewers watch someone with uncontrollable behaviors and disabilities go through challenges that fully capable people couldn’t imagine facing.
Some may say the film glorifies violence. Some could argue it turns mental illness into a laughing matter. An important thing to take into consideration when going to see the film is that that’s what the Joker is. He is the representation insanity with careless power, and he makes it a laughing matter. No one can perform this interpretation of the Jokers ticks and his menacing attributes the way Joaquin Phoenix did. His star power is like none other, and could, perhaps, win him an Oscar this award season. The rumor goes that, these days, actors who take on the role of the Joker put themselves through a lot in order to identify with the green-haired maniac more easily. Physically and behaviorally, Phoenix transformed himself and gave one of the best performances of his generation and in his career.
Something that should be addressed is the emphasis the film places on guns. Maybe it’s a political statement, or maybe not. In the film, the power of something as small as a 38-caliber is shown. It looks heavy in hands and when shot, the sound silences the room. In every scene a gun is shot, you feel the power as a viewer. The film highlights how deadly a handgun is in such a subtle way.
The film draws from late 60s and early 70s crime drama film, with many comparisons to Martin Scorsese’s “The King of Comedy” and “Taxi Driver.” It’s not a cut and paste retelling of either film, but fans of the latter and fans DC’s Batman will know where the film is going. Traditionally Phillips has directed comedies, most notably the “Hangover” trilogy; but the crime drama element has almost always shined through in his work. His characters typically find themselves breaking the rules in one way or another; “Joker” was a good source material for Phillips to take on and toss the jokes to the side for a while.
“Joker” doesn’t stay true to the traditional comic book movie formula. It’s not the first film in the genre to do it. Instead of focusing solely on the hero/villain aspect, it focuses on the character and the mythos that’s surrounded. Under a certain light, the Joker makes observations about western society. From mistreating outcasts to dreaming of sitting beside late-night talk show hosts, “Joker” looks at American culture and mental instability under a microscope unlike any film has before.
The Film Section 