Joker

“Joker,” starring Joaquin Phoenix & directed by Todd Phillips, was the highly awaited DC origin film about the notorious villain, The Joker. It’s safe to consider this movie as one of the best films of 2019. It is gritty, beautifully crafted, perfectly paced, & most importantly, unapologetic.

We are given a film where the audience genuinely feels sorry for The Joker, we want to see him win, & in the end, we cheer for him. The movie begins with Joker, who’s real name is Arthur Fleck, watching himself in the mirror as he puts on his clown makeup & attempts to put on an unsettling smile. You automatically feel sympathy towards him, because in this very instant it is made clear that this character is damaged, & he forces himself to put on this same smile daily despite his life being a tragedy.

This film felt more like a story about a man slowly losing his sanity over the course of time & eventually succumbing to his environment & going insane, rather than a story about The Joker himself, which I absolutely loved. He just simply transforms into the villain at the very end of the film, but in the early stages it’s as if I’m just watching a deranged, mentally ill man try to grasp onto any inkling of humanity that’s left in him but he just ends up losing his grip.

The cinematography was absolutely gorgeous, every to every other scene looked like a beautifully painted picture, & the lighting always perfectly matched the emotive undertone of a scene. I have to give credit to Todd Phillips as a visual and as a storyteller, because this story was told patiently while also painting a vivid picture with every shot. The close up shots, especially during the bathroom scene where Arthur is slowly dancing, captured the essence & psyche of his character so amazingly. Despite the unnecessary controversy that surrounded this movie before it came out, there is not that much violence in it at all… don’t get me wrong, it is a violent film, but it genuinely provides the perfect amount of gore & suspense. “Joker” doesn’t try too hard, it gives the audience just enough and you are left satisfied with every bit of it.

As expected, Joaquin Phoenix stole the show. His portrayal of Arthur Fleck/The Joker was so haunting, uncomfortable, and dark & you are left with wanting to get to know his character more and more with every scene. I felt for him, his performance made me feel something, it was nothing short of fantastic. His movements were carefully orchestrated, his speech & delivery were organic. What’s lovable about Phoenix’s portrayal of this character is that it is his portrayal; he didn’t pull a Jared Leto in ‘Suicide Squad’ & try to copy Heath Ledger & Jack Nicholson’s performances/mannerisms of The Joker. He added his own twist & originality to it, it was all him, & he pulled off the infamous Joker laugh brilliantly. I hope to see a few nominations for him & for this film in 2020.

“Joker” was dark but immensely subtle at the same time, it is a complex film with a few twists & unexpected occurrences that’ll make you want to go for a second viewing. It is clever, it is beautifully crafted, & the story flows naturally. Phoenix’s performance will go down in history as one of the greatest portrayals of The Joker of all time, right next to Heath Ledger & definitely in front of Jared Leto. It is an amazing movie, I would even go as far as calling it a modern masterpiece.

Final Rating – 10/10