Possibly the most underrated film ever.

Rating: 9/10 (24 October 2019)

While I usually find the argument "Don't listen to the critics" childish, I will make an exception for this movie. It's FAR from the violence inciting slop the media is painting it as. Joker is a near masterpiece that, while definitely borrowing elements from other films like Taxi Driver, stands on its own as a fantastic film. Joaquin Pheonix does an incredible job and delivers one of his greatest performances as Arthur Fleck/The Joker. Pheonix really makes you feel sympathy for Arthur even if the things that he does are morally wrong and not defendable in the slightest. If you wanted a comic-book film that was more grounded in realism and 100x grittier than The Dark Knight trilogy, then this might be the movie you've always dreamed of. But the brutal violence and disturbing nature of the film is so masterfully done that it can't be dismissed as "disgusting" or bad because the movie is simply doing it's job well. It didn't exactly get me emotional, but it was very hard-hitting at times and some scenes had me on the edge of my seat. I think if it was a tad more original in some areas then it would be a damn near masterpiece, but overall, Joker is an amazing film that should definitely be seen at least once.