Its "Taxi Driver", but less. It's a DC Movie, but not.

Rating: 7/10 (2 November 2019)

Let's say it this way: Joker persona is irrelevant, it's more like a subproduct of a man gone mad. But you already knew that. Could be a common John Doe (in this case Arthur) without any comic universe related. Honestly, DC universe here is almost inexistent, aside from some Wayne family moments. But again, you already knew that. If you saw Taxi Driver, you will leave the cinema feeling with a solid dejavu that you've seen it before and done better. If you haven't seen Taxi Driver (or King of Comedy) then you should see it immediatly. Joaquin Phoenix IS the movie for all its painfful 2 hrs until it snaps to Joker. A quite impressive performance from J.Phoenix perhaps one of his best work. Turning into Joker is just...well.. you won't forget Heath Ledger let's be honest, but you will admire this new clown. It's more of a thriller and moral/social defying story that anything else. And that's ok.
Just don't expect anything. If you like superhero/vilain movies, there are no suuperheros, no awesome CGI or explosions or guys wearing tight pants. If you're a DC comic fan, go with an open-mind and don't judge it for not being "Killing Joke", ya know, THE story this movie should be all about and hold the title franchise. If you're a DCU movie fan, you may now breath in relief, as DC name earns one more count for "Quality / Realism VS CGI", that Nolan feel. However, it's a different approach.
The story overall is hard to comment on, really. I saw "King of Comedy" by DeNiro, so that's the main plot for the Joker movie. Period. The similarities are remarkable and i'm sure they meant it. As the main character slowly goes angry and judges society? Yeah, that's Taxi Driver 101. It is what it is.
It'll will cause hype and the majority of people actually will love it. Every millenial that didn't have the chance to follow Scorcese/DeNiro work before.