Release the Clown

Rating: 9/10 (12 October 2019)

What an awesome experience and a very old fashioned kind of film. Films like they are only rarely done these days. Also it works perfectly as an homage to Martin Scorsese. It is not your typical kind of comic book adaption and neither does it intend to be. No its a bleak psychological thriller that shows the development of a mentally disturbed person into a dangerous psychopath.
Joaquin Phoenix is brilliant in the leading role and delivers one of his finest performances. He is in line with Heath Ledger when it comes to the most perfect portrayal of that character and it Is unlike anything he has done before. Fantastic development and a truly scary and bothering performance. It screams Oscar. Robert De Niro was the most perfect casting coup for the film. He was also very decent, especially in his last confrontation with Phoenix Joker. Zazie Beetz and Frances Conroy give great support. The atmosphere is stunning and the directional effort of Todd Philips is absolutely outstanding. He perfectly crafted the story as a writer and even more unexpectactly and unique executed it.
Great dark cinematography and a very bleak score sum it up to a masterpiece about a very dark and disturbed soul.
Critizing the film that it symphathises with its hero? Well I did not feel it... but the film does give a great criticism about society in general and this is something that really worked for me rather than idolizing the lead protagonist.