Really 9 1/2 stars

Rating: 10/10 (12 October 2019)

It's really that good, near perfect film. It wonderfully explores the complexities of mental illness & society's obligation to the individual in terms of care. Then delves into the socioeconomic divide in America & how it impacts lives. This movie has an R rating so I don't get the backlash against the violence. American history is filled with violence & movies from the seventies were way more violent & filled with more harsh adult themes than this film. Joaquin Phoenix does a riveting job of portraying a believable character, who is as much a product of society as society is of his world due to the harm he inflicts. A classic example of art imitating life. The director, Todd Phillips, brings grit to the camera as well as a marvelous score that is ominous as well as sets the metamorphosis of Joker. Definitely one of the best "comic book " films of all time. So much closer to the "Killing Joke" graphic novel than the animated movie.