Joker is a 2019 American psychological thriller film directed by Todd Phillips, who co-wrote the screenplay with Scott Silver. The film, based on DC Comics characters, stars Joaquin Phoenix as the Joker. An origin story set in 1981, the film follows Arthur Fleck, a failed stand-up comedian who turns to a life of crime and chaos in Gotham City. Robert De Niro, Zazie Beetz, Frances Conroy, Brett Cullen, Glenn Fleshler, Bill Camp, Shea Whigham, and Marc Maron appear in supporting roles. Joker was produced by DC Films, Village Roadshow Pictures, Bron Creative, and Joint Effort, and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures.
Well, I cannot really call this a superhero film even though it is based on a supervillan character from the DC comic book series. Instead this is a pyschological thriller about someone less than ordinary, a nobody basically, someone with an inferiority complex, less assured than the average man, someone who is already suffering a metal affliction can become devastated by the events that conspire against him and become a symbol for crazed evil.
He is letdown by his mother, his friends (what little he has), his presumed life, his dreams, his role model who is a tv show host, by society as a whole and eventually even by himself! In the end he could have gone down two paths : suicide or the dark side! And he goes down the dark side. He gets beaten for no reason, he is made fun off, he is taken advantage off and becomes a patsy, is harassed, shunned because of his condition and even targeted for violence because of it. He breaks! He is led to believe that the rich Thomas Wayne is his biological father but it turns out it isn’t true. His mother wasn’t even his mother and infact had even let her boyfriend physically abuse the adopted child. Distraught he snaps and kills his mother.
This is a movie worth watching for the acting of the lead character. He is sympathetic and brings out empathy and yet when you see him after he has snapped you are a little on his side. The cheers in the theatre for Joker when he comes in full makeup and finally smiles that sick smile shows that you want him to hurt the people who hurt him, to get back at society and to finally get some respect. It’s brilliant to watch. As a movie or a superhero movie I wasn’t too impressed but as a movie on it’s own, it’s damn impressive. A decaying metro city as Gotham brought out the world’s greatest detective from a tragedy but it also brought out the villains who had less than Bruce Wayne.
Oscar nod and perhaps even a win awaits Joaquin Phoenix. I will be highly dissspointed if he doesn’t atleast gets nominated. It gets an 8 outta 10 as a film but a 10 outta 10 for Pheonix!