THIS movie has been deemed controversial by the coverage it has received from several quarters in the US that label it a dangerous work that could inspire acts of violence by people who see its portrayal of the titular villain as a sympathetic one.
Funny how all the hullabaloo surrounding it seemed to be by mostly people who had not even watched it yet but had already passed judgement.
If anything, it just serves to give the movie even more publicity for curious moviegoers to check it out in the cinema.
“Dangerous” movies are not new at all. From A Clockwork Orange to Natural Born Killers, Hollywood has been churning out edgy and subversive fare over the decades of which many overly sensitive parties have complained about but with no discernible apocalyptic results.
The Joker, directed by Todd Phillips, clearly draws its influence from another dangerous movie, Taxi Driver, way back from 1976, as well as King Of Comedy (1983). Both were directed by Martin Scorsese and starred Robert De Niro in the lead as deranged characters.
Interestingly, De Niro also appears in the movie as a popular talk show host, but the spotlight falls on Joaquin Phoenix who plays Arthur Fleck, a down on his luck party clown who lives with his mother Penny (Frances Conroy) in a grim and grimy Gotham City set in the 1980s.
Based loosely on the classic Batman graphic novel The Killing Joke, this movie takes viewers on a journey into madness as Arthur himself slowly discovers his true nature and chillingly embraces it to become the Joker.
It’s an origin story of The Dark Knight’s arch nemesis and although this is linked to a comic book character, it is really far off from a typical superhero movie. This one is definitely not for kids.
But it’s a compelling if not chilling character study of a mentally disturbed mind who is further pushed to breaking point by a series of unfortunate and heartbreaking circumstances coupled with a seemingly apathetic society.
Phoenix gives a stellar performance throughout, from his physical look to his body movements and expressions in the 120-minute movie with a slow build-up to its psychologically explosive climax.
It would be surprising if the 44-year-old actor, who received Oscar nominations for his work on Gladiator, Walk The Line and The Master, doesn’t received another nod, if not win, for this movie.
The viewer will feel Arthur’s pain as he struggles with his condition where he starts to laugh uncontrollably whenever he feels awkward, inadequate, nervous or just any other negative emotion.
His particular debut as a stand-up comic during an open mic session at a club where he painfully screws up his performance was particularly moving.
Arthur’s eventual transformation into the titular villain and his rise as he influences a chaotic revolt on the streets was pretty chilling as well.
There are certain instances of violence too and given the context it was pretty dark and shocking, although it seems like the media frenzy surrounding that had overblown the issue. Plenty of other movies have even more violent content, Taxi Driver included, and even in other superhero movies like Deadpool.
Director Phillips, who is responsible for a string of comedy movies including The Hangover trilogy, takes a 180-degree turn here to effectively show the frightening and ironic side of comedy.
His realistic and sharp edged take on the Joker also includes his own version of how the character is linked to the origin of the Caped Crusader himself.
There’s no point though in comparing Phoenix’s portrayal to the one that Heath Ledger so seamlessly took on in The Dark Knight back in 2008. They're like apples and oranges. The Christopher Nolan-directed movie showed the Joker as an enigmatic force of nature and chaos. The viewer never got to know who he really was and just saw him as an agent of chaos who just wanted everybody to see the world as he does.
In this movie, the viewers gets to know where he comes from and who he is before he eventually transforms or in this case accepts himself for what he really is.
Supported by a great cast, effective production values and stellar camera work, the music by Hildur Guonadottir also served to further drive home the unbalanced nature of the main character. Its sparse orchestral strings sounded like eerily twisted versions of the batman themes from the previous movies.
As Arthur himself came to realise, “Life is a tragedy, no life is a comedy. That's life.”
Fans of Batman have always known that there are abysmally dark depths in the mind of the Joker and this movie is an effective tip of the iceberg showcase of that.
Those that like their Batman brew strong and black will love this blend. Fans of movies will also enjoy the dramatic moments and compelling performance by Phoenix, as well as the slow twist of the knife as it cuts through our fears.
Perhaps the movie is also a way to open up discussions about mental health and why things are going the way they are in the world today, especially in the US.
NOW SHOWING
JOKER
Directed by Todd Phillips
Starring Joaquin Phoenix, Robert De Niro, Frances Conroy
Duration 122 minutes
Rating 18