★★★
In Gotham City, mentally-troubled comedian Arthur Fleck embarks on a downward spiral of social revolution and bloody crime. This path brings him face-to-face with his infamous alter-ego: "The Joker".
Classification: 15
In the film's triumphant and probably soon to be most iconic scene, bathed in sunlight Joaquin Phoenix clad in a bright red suit and clown makeup dances down a flight of stairs representing his character's gleeful descent into anarchy all to the tune of Rock N' Roll (Part 2) by the musician Gary Glitter, a convicted paedophile. Intentional or not Joker is a film that feels like its laughing at the very attempt to be a serious character drama by having all the subtlety of a hammer to the skull in its story structure and dialogue. Writer-director Todd Phillips effort to place the iconic villain into a more grounded, realistic film isn't a disaster, however, as the technical elements and Phoenix's performance elevates the film. With the obvious references to Scorsese filmography Taxi Driver and The King of Comedy to the point where it does actually feel like someone is hitting you with a hammer, there is nothing clever or unique in how Joker tells its story beyond its connection to the Batman universe.
The main issue is the script which successfully depicts the main character of Arthur Fleck descending into madness and violence as a result of society's failings but its the way it approaches the themes and depictions of mental illness and classism. Fleck isn't a sympathetic character nor does the film excuse his actions but Joker has little nuance or subtlety in explaining its story. Glimpses of Fleck's private thoughts or lines of dialogue just go for the most obvious stigmas of mental illness with many of the film's quotes sure to be posted on social media by teenagers in an attempt to sound deep and insightful. Joker going for the more accessible route isn't a bad thing, considering the character's popularity streamlining the more complex themes of the audience will highlight the issues of mental health care in a broader sense but it feels like the filmmakers being smug. There is a sense of pretentiousness to the writing like Phillips himself thinks that this is the pinnacle of how to depict this subject, that the dialogue is so clever and insightful when it's actually horribly overbearing and just feels like the film is overexplaining what it wants to say.
This attitude extends to the direction of Joker as while the film has phenomenal performances and intoxicating visuals, it still feels like a copy of a far better film. Phillips does highlight important issues with the story of Joker, the failure of mental health care, social and income gaps between rich and poor, and the notion of violence and fame being connected. One of the most interesting plot points is how Fleck's first act of violence is co-opted by a movement against the wealthy essentially having the character slowly realise his dreams of being a beloved entertainer will come true if continues the Joker persona. Everything is handled seriously, moments of levity and comedy are rare and when they do occur it's at the expense of someone else, Phillips gives us an ugly look at the world. Still, it all feels like Phillips understands the importance of these ideas but can't naturally integrate them into the story leading to many scenes of characters having to literally explain the thematic relevance of the film through stilted dialogue. Something that shines in Phillips direction is the sense of fantasy, certain scenes highlight Fleck's delusions such as imagining himself as a guest on the Murray Franklin show and how he projects himself or others into situations where he is appreciated. Arthur Fleck is a twisted Walter Mitty and in establishing his inability to discern reality from delusion, it has the audience question what is happening in Joker. Fleck's notebook contains scribbles, crude drawings and photographs depicting sex and nudity, the film wants to have the audience unsure and uncomfortable by where Fleck's state of mind is, these visual cues are only electrified by Phoenix's terrifying performance.
Joker puts all of its cards on Joaquin Phoenix and gets what they paid for as the actor delivers an unbelievable physical performance that will horrify audiences in the most astounding way. Phoenix as talented as he is isn't able to sell the more ridiculous and cringeworthy dialogue but makes it work by having Arthur Fleck feel immature and childlike at times. This is a character so disconnected from everything around him that what he believes is intelligent and thoughtful is actually just deluded and selfish, Phoenix always keeps the aura of disturbing energy to the character and can establish his interpretation against the other iconic iterations. It's the physical control that Phoenix has over himself that allows him to vanish into Fleck's persona, the character has an awkward lanky frame highlighted by the character's dancing, a trait that becomes more prominent as he accepts his violent side. Fleck's laugh is also a testament to the performance as it is a medical condition where Fleck laughs uncontrollably usually in awkward or dramatic situations, at times it feels like a monster is trying to crawl out of Phoenix's throat. His body contorts with his face in pain as this anguished sick laugh just exhausts Fleck and the audience can really feel the pain of the character.
Phoenix's performance is surrounded by an exceptional visual and auditory experience as the work of cinematographer Lawrence Sher and composer Hildur Guðnadóttir take the troubled script and direction and elevate it to a place that feels like what Phillips had envisioned. Production designer Mark Friedberg has Gotham City drowning in trash, strikes in the city has led to mountains of trash bags covering every environment as the score just beats down on Fleck and the audience like an inescapable hell. The camera work captures this bleak, grim, grimy world as Fleck is always in muted, bland colours until his transformation into the Clown Prince of Crime. It captures the 70s crime aesthetic that inspired it and picks up the slack where the story was faltering, Guðnadóttir's score does a better job at conveying the complexity of Arthur Fleck's mental state than the juvenile attitude of the dialogue.
One of the more compelling ideas to Joker is that the film may be intentionally being so blatant. It's more likely that Todd Phillips believes his interpretation of The Joker as a realistic mentally ill criminal is a stroke of genius and that's why the script goes for the most obvious plot points as half the film feels like a self-congratulatory pat on the back for how clever it is. However certain moments make an audience think that Joker is aware of what is intended and so mocks the very concept of a character-driven drama about a psychotic clown. It's hard to tell what's reality or fantasy and at times the film itself feels like something Arthur Fleck created himself to celebrate his own disturbing actions. The characters history is infamous and synonymous with mocking society, pointing out the hypocrisy of civilisation, so it would make sense for a film where the Joker is the subject to just mock an audience for acting like something deeply profound is before them.
Joker does represent a lot of things for different audiences, it will be a film that resonates in surprising ways and will likely have more staying power than most films based around comic book characters. While its a technically impressive piece of filmmaking and one of Joaquin Phoenix's most memorable performances, the overall film leaves something to be desired whether or not the whole thing could be one big joke. It's not irresponsible in the depiction of its subject matter but rather believes because it is centred around a comic book villain that the most standard and obvious approach is already groundbreaking for cinema so it brings nothing new storywise to the audience. Joker will most likely herald in a new wave of more grounded serious adaptations of comic book characters but it is also an example of how stapling a well-known character onto an existing film isn't innovative. If not for the talent of those around him, Todd Phillips's film would just be another bland foray into a genre with far better instalments.
Director: #ToddPhillips
Cast: #JoaquinPhoenix, #RobertDeNiro, #ZazieBeetz, #FrancesConroy, #BrettCullen, #MarcMaron, #BillCamp, #SheaWhigham
Release Date: October 4th 2019
Trailer:
Written review copyright ©CoreyBullochReviews
Images and Synopsis from the Internet Movie Database
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