A Troubled Man Becomes the Trouble

Rating: 10/10 (5 October 2019)

Visceral, raw, timely. Joaquin Phoenix gives a performance that even this film's mistaken haters cannot deny is phenomenal. The plot is a slow burn, but with plenty to shock you and induce sympathy while you're waiting to see Arthur Fleck transition to the Joker. How can such a weak man become the charismatic, insane, and flamboyant Joker? All of the pieces eventually coalesce under the masterful eye of Phillips in a way that is believable and fascinating.
I suppose it helps to identify a bit with Fleck. If you've never felt beaten down by life, or you can only see his privilege, you may not get it; that is the only reason I surmise some of the critics' reviews are negative. To me, this is a updated, colorful Falling Down, but with a character who is much easier to identify with, at least until he begins to do evil things. From that point it becomes even more watchable because he is becoming the always-entertaining clown prince. The Joker has captivated audiences across different media for decades for a reason. He's a great character.
There's definitely parallels to the incel subculture here, but more prominent is what this movie says about classism. Fleck's struggles are mostly due to his poverty, and, more importantly, his followers' only gripe is wealth inequality.
But ignore all that. Go see a troubled man lose his sanity, morality, and patience with society's rules and become one of the greatest supervillains of all time.