Joaquin PhoenixJoker [DVD] [2019]

I am not going to get into the polemic that’s raging between hardcore dc fans and others. I’ve never liked comic books. I only know the characters through the films since it was a ‘bonus’ of my job to be invited or taken by fans to see comic books turned into live action films, amongst others. I worked in traditional animation, you did meet a lot of Marvel, dc, dic, etc. fans.To the true fans I am politely say “he’s not the real psychopath Joker? Who cares as long as this interpretation is brilliant”. I guess if I add “get a life” this comment will not appear, but I must do it for the sake of good, deep, thoughtful cinema.This film is so well researched it has the seal of approval of many psychiatrists.A psychopath cannot be cured. It’s not an illness they contract, it’s a state of being. They are scary but have only one tune, lack of empathy, enjoying causing pain to others, no notion of a difference between right and wrong -fine, that’s three- but they work hand in hand.Nicholson is scary whether or not he’s wearing make-up. Heath Ledger was a wonderful actor, his performance of Joker was great -though still a model psychopath- but it often felt to me like he was somehow impersonating Tom Waits in some of his live work or even interviews. (I love Tom Waits but I kept waiting Ledger to break into ‘The Piano Has Been Drinking”).Purists have been going on and on about details most people don’t even know about, having come to Joker via Batman films, not the comic.This film is profound. Everything from the script, the camera work, the music, (don’t get me started in the other argument: “Oh my! They used a Gary Glitter song”. It was perfect for that scene and the perv is behind bars...The storyline and the way it develops is amazing. Joker isn’t a psychopath, he’s a downtrodden, abused, laughed at, rejected, beaten man who already has cerebral lesions or neurological troubles caused as a child by his mother and her lovers. He’s odd. And society doesn’t care for oddity. Ours doesn’t either.He has empathy, loves his mother, is full of emotions, wants to make people laugh even though his life has never felt right or real to him, and these get trampled upon again and again until he truly becomes Joker: the very last scene when he leaves bloody footsteps as he exits the interview he had with his psychiatrist.I am not condoning murder, but we are talking about a fictional character who was born in a comic book. A little suspension of disbelief and a little tolerance aren’t too much to ask.Every person he has killed till this point do not deserve death, but they are rotten, including as it turns out his lying delusional abusive adoptive mother.The psychiatrist’s murder marks the entrance of Joker, SHE did not deserve it. Yet he’s still not a psychopath. Psychosis yes, psychopathy no. He has crossed a line, and is unlikely to turn back, but he’s not another psycho villain who has no history. The history of a psychopath would not elicit much sympathy.And that is the beauty of this film, the background it gives to an interesting maladjusted man whom society fails again and again.I’ve not spoken of Joaquin Phoenix’s performance yet because it is probable than a lesser actor might not have managed to convey this array of emotions, his original naivety, the symptoms of his lesions, the development of his character. Every time he dances I shudder. He has absorbed Arthur Fleck down to the bones.There are great actors out there, but not one could have given this performance without turning it into a caricature. His Arthur Fleck is as real as Joker. At last someone who really deserved an Oscar, and received it not to praise, thank, and flatter; but to draw parallels between the rejection and belittling of his character with the rejection and belittling of races, gender, species. Of difference. Of being the other. It was beautiful.I don’t see why this film should have cut the cord with Batman. Gotham is exactly the city that treads on the less fortunate -i.e. most everyone. Why should Bruce’s father be a nice man because he usually is?Forget those details. Keep the vaguest outline of Batman in you head, because the elements of future stories are there, be open-minded, and perhaps you’ll wish he was the real Joker in Batman -a complicated person, not a cardboard villain, not just another gratuitously cruel psychopath.Watch it again again and discover more and more subtleties.Hat off to cast, production/writing/directing team, not forgetting the crew.In an age of fluff that relies on special effects and gorgeous leads, Joker stands out proudly.And again, hat off Mr. Phoenix.

I first saw this movie on the big screen. At the time I enjoyed but said to myself 'I must watch again'. Reason being there is a lot going on in this movie and one watch does not do justice.A Blu-Ray DVD was the answer once prices had settled a bit. And glad I am to have revisited. Mr Phoenix is excellent in portraying the tortured mind. Robert De Nero is good. The supporting cast all are good.The movie is a dark tale. But it holds the viewer from start to finish. I believe this movie will become a classic of the future.Just as a side issue, I fail to get the decline in DVDS and Blu-ray etc. OK I do have an OLED TV that is very good. But the picture quality from even standard DVD's is excellent. I also own the movie along with all the extras. One day methinks they'll come back just like vinyl.Anyway, Joker, top class movie.

We've had so many incarnations of the Joker over the years that present him in such different ways, whether it be Jack Nicholson, Heath Ledger, or my personal favourite Mark Hamill. Each version seems to focus on a different aspect of the character's psyche (the gangster, the anarchist etc). This version is much more of an in-depth look at what made him turn into that psychopath that we all recognise. The film is very much a character study rather than an action film, it definitely deviates from the traditional conventions of comic book films, with a very dark and grim tone that kind of reminds me of films like Taxi Driver and American Psycho. At first, I wasn't sure how I'd feel about a Joker movie that didn't feature Batman, since I love that dynamic between the 2 of them. However, since the Joker is my favourite fictional villain,I figured I'd find it interesting. I'm glad I gave the film a chance.The main selling point is of course the performance of Joaquin Phoenix, he is outstanding and deserving of his recent Oscar win. You feel sympathy for him, but at the same time you feel unsettled by him. From the get-go, the first time you see him talking to his therapist, he starts uncontrollably laughing due to his condition for about a minute straight. On one hand, people might think the moment drags on a bit, but I think it works as it actually makes you uncomfortable. As the film goes on, he slowly descends further into madness as more and more aspects of his life spiral out of control. Once he fully becomes the Joker, he feels like a different person, even down to his body language. The supporting cast are all great, especially Robert De Niro, but they are all used sparingly, since Joaquin is (rightly) always the main focus and he is in pretty much every scene. There are several moments of tension throughout the 2-hour runtime that culminate with brutal violence that feels very grounded and realistic. The infrequency of action also adds to this, since it feels a lot more visceral when the violence does eventually happen.If you appreciate comic book movies that push the boundaries and that try approaching the genre from a different angle (films like Logan or The Dark Knight trilogy), I strongly recommend Joker, though it's not a film for everyone. It's a bit of a slow-burn with very little action and is very dark, but I, for one, really enjoyed it.