Joker Review - Astonishing

Rating: 9/10 (4 October 2019)

Todd Phillips provides us with the masterful child of "Taxi Driver" and "The King of Comedy". The inspirations from both are clear throughout, but Joker manages to make a name for itself. Hildur Guðnadóttir's phenomenal score provided a symphony for Arthur's crude yet hypnotic dancing and inspired emotion and darkness when you least expected it. The powerhouse of the movie was the lead actor. Joaquin Phoenix's portrayal of Arthur Fleck's descent into udder madness is astonishing. His weight loss, the sunken cheeks, and the greased hair, not to mention the laugh creates this persona of a deranged loner. Any time Joaquin would laugh due to his condition, there was an atmosphere change in the theatre. Everyone felt the power, the fear, and the anger behind it and it was truly captivating. The way he twists and turns his body in his never ceasing attempts to be liked or normal leaves you uneasy. You finally see the beauty in his madness as he dances down his very own stairway to heaven to the sound of "Rock and Roll Part 2". Amidst his aggressive, celebratory, and almost jubilant thrusting he's ushered into his rebirth into anarchy. De Niro was a phenomenal counterpart to Phoenix, and was part of the homage to the previous Scorsese movies. De Niro was subtle, while also providing a believable and comical idol. The final showdown between the two while expected, leaves you shocked by De Niro's alarming death. However, the movie comes to true fruition near the end. As Joker stands on top of the wrecked police car and turns his blood into the smile whilst the crowd cheers and riots. In this scene where Arthur stands in victory and everything has come together you can't help but cheer for him. This movie has reimagined the Joker into an iconic antihero, and it will be interesting to see where it goes from here.