It's a tragedy

Rating: 9/10 (17 October 2019)

After seeing Joker, it kept me up late into the night. It's certainly an unsettling film. It differentiates itself from the rest of the villain- centric comic book films, like Suicide Squad or Venom, by not providing any counter force to the bad guy. In Venom and Suicide Squad those who usually would be the villains are faced off against someone who is a bigger villain and by the end of the film they're almost become the heroes. In Joker however, there are no heroes. The tone is somber throughout the film and there are practically no elements to invoke any positive feelings.
Joker's real name here is Arthur Fleck and he's played superbly by Joaquin Phoenix. He brings his own flavor into the role and his performance is very physical. Not only did he lose weight for the role, but his movement, like his dancing, which there is surprisingly lot in Joker, is captivating. Joker is a standalone film from the rest of the DC Universe films and it tells the story, although borrowing cues from other famous movies, of how Arthur becomes the Joker. Whether intentional or not (although I doubt that due to Robert DeNiro's character) to me Joker resembles mostly Martin Scorsese's King of Comedy, taken only further to the extreme.
Like Rupert Pupkin in King of Comedy, Arthur Fleck in Joker is delusional and socially clumsy outsider who wants to be a famous comedian. He's not a edgy master criminal here. Arthur also admires a late-night host, played by Robert DeNiro. Like Pupkin, Arthur believes his destined to be on the stage, only that he hasn't had his deserved big break yet. Only problem is that Arthur doesn't seem to understand other people or what people generally find funny. Or maybe it's his lack of talent. In Joker, much emphasize is put on the fact that Arthur suffers from mental illness like his mother, whom he cares for. Arthur suffers from a condition which makes him laugh involuntarily. This makes it even more difficult for him to connect with anyone as he may laugh in very inappropriate situations.
A lot has been said about the violence and the depiction of a mentally ill person in Joker. It is indeed a violent film but compared to the likes of its role models such as Taxi Driver, it's nothing new under the sun. Maybe when compared to other comic book -based films, its violence and bleak atmosphere might seem like something new. However, as an actual social commentary Joker and its world feels too simplified. It leans its juxtaposition on the old poor vs the rich elite environment. It would be easy to say that the film is a warning of what neglected care for the mentally ill and the increasing wealth cap would cause, but to me it's just an environment where the film takes place. Sure, there are riots, mentally ill, rich and poor people in the real world too. But does it say anything meaningful of it? I don't think so. The idea that the films version of Gotham is an accurate depiction of today's society and where violence and murder are acceptable and admirable solutions to hardships in life is just too cynical and not all the way thought interpretation. Rather, the whole movie is about Arthur and his desire and inability to connect with the world, which in the end comes to pass in ironically twisted way.
Joker is by no means a subtle movie. It constantly reminds the viewer of the bleak Gotham City in which Arthur lives and of the state of Artur's mental wellbeing. The world around Arthur is bleak and sometimes cruel. Everything bad that happens to Arthur seems to happen without his fault. All he wants to do is to bring laughter and joy into this world. He displays a sort of child- like innocence, which makes it easy to side with him. It's very manipulative, but admittedly effective. But once things start to take a turn for the worse when Arthur shoots three Wayne Investment employees after being assaulted by them in the subway, the sympathy I felt turned into pity. It's this stark turn that the film takes that makes it captivating. This contradiction also applies to the film's soundtrack, where its original tracks are very melancholic compared to some other old classics which are heard. As Arthur dances in a shady restroom after his first murders I realized that I do not understand him. What Arthur does in the film is no way excusable. He may have tried to defend himself on the subway by firing his gun, but then he starts to hunt down the other two. This isn't a story of Arthur discovering his true self or becoming what he was meant to be by taking on the name Joker, but rather it's about Arthur losing his way. This is a Joker I don't see going head to head with the Dark Knight. In fact, I don't see any future for Arthur.
Joker isn't as dangerous film as it's claimed to be. Sure, it's intense and violent, and it's easy to draw some slim parallels between its world and the real world, but they are too vague and general that they do not contribute to anything. I also do not accept the idea that the film incites people to violence. In the film Arthur gains following through his acts of killing, but it speaks to the tragedy that he couldn't gain attention by bringing laughter and joy to the world, but instead through acts of violence and becoming uncivil himself.
Joker from time to time goes out of its way to remind the viewer that it takes place in the Batman universe. Some familiar names drop by here and there, but I still don't see, nor do I care to see a sequel where Arthur goes up against the Caped Crusader. The ending attempts to leave you guessing whether anything you saw on the screen was real or not, but it doesn't really matter. Although I'm leaning towards the former. That's much I want Joker to be its own self-contained film in this era of comic book films where a movie is more concerned about building towards a sequel rather trying to tell a proper story.