Joker: Movie Review (No Spoilers)

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By Michael Momper

If you have seen any of Joaquin Phoenix's performances, you know what to expect from him. He brings his all to every single movie. Whether he's playing an almost note-perfect rendition of Johnny Cash in Walk the Line, the brooding and dark villain Commodus in Gladiator, or a disillusioned cultist alongside Phillip Seymour Hoffman in The Master, he's essentially a home-run hitter with every role. If you've seen the trailer for his newest movie, Joker, you probably got the same feeling that he had yet another incredible performance up his sleeve. Thus, I had absolutely zero worries about the caliber of his work going into this film- he's just too good and committed to drop the ball on a character with this much of a colorful history. My curiosity was founded in whether or not the script and direction were going to be up to par.

Some of my fears were quelled by the R-rating. This is rare in superhero movies, and I love the fact that it means Todd Phillips had so much more of a creative license with the tone of this movie. Since I knew that Joker was the main character, and thus likely an anti-hero, I figured that Phillips likely embraced a dark and disturbing tone for the movie and thus snagged an R-rating without hesitation. I was pumped- villains as ruthless as the Joker need that creative license in order to embrace the darkness.

Todd Phillips' name in the director seat gave me mixed feelings. He directed The Hangover, which is one of my favorite comedies for sure, but so different from any type of movie that Joaquin Phoenix would be involved in. The Hangover is directed in an efficient, snappy way, with good colors and use of music. It crackles with energy throughout and doesn't waste any scenes. I didn't expect to see a super fast-pace to Joker so I was very interested to see Phillips' vision within.

I am happy to see any of my hesitations were rightly quashed. With great tracking shots, period detail and grimy settings throughout, the viewer is plunged into this dark world pretty much right from the beginning. The pacing is excellent. Phillips had some interesting ideas with the script that I think he really nailed and pulled off with confidence- rather than attempting to copy the template for Heath Ledger's Joker, the Joker in Phillips' movie is a tortured soul who struggles with deep psychological problems and mental health concerns. With seemingly nothing to live for and the cruelty of the outside world evident all around him, he is led to believe that his life is not a tragedy, but rather a comedy, as everything about his life is warped and disordered in a way that shows almost comically bad luck.

The Joker's bullies in the movie are very one-dimensional, which usually irks me (think of 80s action movie bullies, even those in Karate Kid). However, make no mistake that this movie is still very grounded in the mythos of the Batman comics- for this reason, any thinly sketched side characters more just served as plot fodder to me, so I wasn't annoyed really at all by their presence. Be prepared to see Joker's slow descent into madness in a way unlike you've seen before.

Like I mentioned before, you already figured Joaquin was compelling in this movie and you are correct. I think this is his best performance yet, as he is very sympathetic but also disturbed and twisted and skinny- yes, very skinny (he lost over 50 pounds for this role!). This is commitment that reminds me of Christian Bale's performance in The Machinist- it is a sight to behold. If you are at all a fan of Batman or his universe, this movie has a lot of really cool callbacks and connects some dots with Bruce Wayne as well. Prepare to be entertained and disturbed as you witness an incredible transformation and insight into one of the best villains in American cinema.

Rating: 93/100

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