They're not laughing now ...

Rating: 7/10 (3 February 2020)

In a city seething with class antagonism, the mental illness of a struggling clown flourishes into messianic and murderous insanity.
Woah! That's a bold story, and the lead role does it justice, as the character becomes a sort of hall-of-mirrors reprise of Travis Bickle in Taxi Driver, with uncanny poses and dance moves. And of course, de Niro is present too, with shades of The King Of Comedy.
But you can see the problem right there, with all the emphasis on the actors and not so much on story or theme. It is engaging, and well paced and edited, but a bit linear and simplistic. Maybe comic book heroes are fit only for comic books, and expecting them to take on the injustices of the American Way is to ask too much. At least they had the guts to go for it.
On reflection, I think maybe the concept started in too low a gear - if you state that we live in a crazy, mixed-up system, the audience is already with you. What we really want to see is the dawning of the Age of Joker, as the mantra Life Is A Joke infects everything, even the most innocent thing, until we realise Joker is an inevitable outgrowth of the jokers who run this system.
The sound is very good, with a constant hubbub of tinny TVs, the guy in the apartment upstairs shouting, "Shut up!", and the din of Gotham's chaotic streets. Also, the music keeps reminding you of Sinatra's genius for hitting unexpected notes that are just right. Most interesting part of the cinematography is the giant architecture.
Overall: Interesting, not awesome.
ps. The best line is a clever gag nicked from Bob Monkhouse: "When I was growing up I told them I wanted to become a comedian. They laughed at me then ...."