Joker
(Warner Bros. Pictures/Village Roadshow Pictures/DC)
By Lucas Allen
Batman’s most famous villain The Joker has a certain power that is still felt especially beyond the comics. Everybody has a favorite rendition of the Clown Prince of Crime, but this is the kind of character who brings so many layers in each successive generation.
Now we have a new standalone movie that isn’t meant to launch a franchise nor count as a proper superhero movie. “Joker” is brought to us by Todd Phillips, who previously is known for his low-brow comedies like “Old School” and “The Hangover Trilogy.”
Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix) lives in a Gotham City that’s in a state of disarray economically. He works as a clown-by-trade, while he cares for his sickly mother Penny (Frances Conroy) at their apartment. He does however retain a life-long dream of being a stand-up comedian and appear on his favorite late-night talk show hosted by Murray Franklin (Robert De Niro). It doesn’t help that Arthur suffers from mental health issues, including uncontrollable laughter whenever his anxiety rises.
After being fired from his job, it begins a downward spiral for the poor clown including committing a subway shootout killing three drunk businessmen. Also, his relationships with his mother and next-door neighbor Sophie (Zazie Beetz) start to crumble once he discovers a surprising personal connection to the city’s would-be mayor Thomas Wayne (Brett Cullen). It all comes to a head when Arthur has to make an appearance on Murray’s show, while the denizens start to rise in protest against the city’s richest because of his actions.
There’s one good word to describe this movie, and it is daring. Daring in its writing, directing, acting, and overall execution. Here’s a movie that is not afraid of taking those extra steps beyond normal comprehension. No matter what your past experiences with the title character have been, you’ll feel like you’re experiencing a brand new experience for the first time. Don’t let whatever controversy about the movie hinder your choice of seeing it.
The movie is certainly dark and your mileage may vary simply on the arc of the main character. But in the terms of storytelling, it can be seen as a fascinating allegory on today’s state of society. It shouldn’t be surprising that Gotham can be a seedy and corrupted city in many adaptations of the Batman-verse especially in this realistic depiction of a community in the deepest, darkest state of disarray. The real test comes when the third act goes a lot deeper than anyone has ever seen including a repeat scene we’ve seen before in other Batman films. It does raise an interesting question if this film was meant to be a stand-alone film or the start of a potential franchise like a DC villain-verse.
It’s also no surprise that someone like Phoenix can take this classic villain previously portrayed memorably by the likes of Jack Nicholson, Mark Hamill and Heath Ledger and make it entirely his own. He’s able to put himself in his own mindset as a broken man who evolves into a psychopath and does so with guts and dedication. Equally great is De Niro who in a couple of scenes, he plays a hot-headed TV star oblivious to the danger that comes to him. The rest of the cast simply play it straight when they had to act opposite someone as powerful as Phoenix.
It may not be for everybody, but “Joker” nonetheless takes the comic book movie down deeper into the darkness and comes out as a different beast. Love it or hate it, it’s going to be remembered as the movie that dared to go in another direction audiences did not expect yet come out on top. Brilliant and unforgettable, don’t miss a chance to see this film on the biggest screen possible.
THE MOVIE’S RATING: R (for strong bloody violence, disturbing behavior, language, and brief sexual images)
THE CRITIC’S RATING: 3.75 Stars (Out of Four)
