Villain or a Victim? The Joker portrays a multilayered personality in a chaotic society and explores the consequences.

Rating: 9/10 (27 October 2019)

Phoenix's finest work so far. I'm amazed how he managed to get so immersed into a deeply convoluted character. We didn't get soda or popcorn and all the same none of it would've been touched. Phoenix has a rare actor's ability to capture your entire attention with his stage presence, he's extremely versatile in his choice of roles and in the Joker in particular he flexes those talented muscles. To be able to convey complex emotions in a short period of time is so awe inspiring, huge credit to Phoenix he certainly did his homework and more so. I read somewhere that he read political biographies to get into the mindset of the Joker and I gotta say I admire his work ethic.
I was on the edge on my seat giggling, wondering, crying and gasping throughout the film.
There's a fair amount of graphic violence in the movie and despite some critics saying it glamorizes the violent culture, first of all this is fictional and rational audience members ought to be able to put that aside when going back into the real world, second of all the Arthur is a product of a dehumanizing society and a horrible childhood. Hurt people, hurt people that's something we can learn from when rehabilitating criminals. We certainly feel lots of empathy for Arthur despite his criminal doings he's a traumatised human being, strip away all the makeup and the cursing and the guns there's a person beneath longing to be accepted and loved for who he is.
The only thing I missed from this movie was a bit more, it didn't feel like two hours at all, that's how good it was. 9 big stars from me. Do yourself a favour and indulge in this masterpiece.