Joker

Rating: 8/10 (2 December 2019)

Joker has probably one of the best depictions of mental illness I have ever seen on film. There's no point in comparing Joaquin Phoenix to Heath Ledger's portrayal, since these are two different interpretations of the character. As a character, Arthur Fleck is less of a criminal mastermind and more of a loner that feels put upon by society. And he eventually snaps like Travis Bickle in Taxi Driver. And therein lies my problem with this movie, there's a lot of Martin Scorsese pastiche in this film and sometimes it can come off as a bit too glib.
But Todd Phillips is a clever enough director to do some interesting things with his storytelling to make the film engaging. The film has a very grainy 70's look that makes it feel like a grindhouse movie from that era. I also love the super rat discussions on the radio, and I love the boiling tensions between the wealthy elites and the poor people of Gotham city, you get the sense that a class war could erupt in Gotham city at any minute. I also like that Todd Phillips made Thomas Wayne a smarmy prick, he's not the saintly Wayne like we're use to seeing in the other Batman movies.
This version of Thomas Wayne is less of a philanthropist and more of a
slimy politician. It was a bold choice to make this character something else entirely and it's wickedly subversive. Zazie Beetz is also great in a small role as Sophie Dumo the object of Arthur's desire.
In conclusion, I wish Joker was longer because even at 115 minutes it feels a bit rushed. Perhaps they could have fleshed out Arthur Fleck's relationship with his mother a bit more? But despite my quibbles, this is still a good movie elevated by Joaquin Phoenix's performance as Arthur Fleck. Ultimately, Joker is a character study about a deeply troubled man and this film is definitely worth seeing.