I had heard from many people that this was a comic book movie for people that weren't fans of comic books...

Rating: 9/10 (6 February 2020)

...That irked me and was probably why I took so long to see it. I had also heard that it was harrowing and twisted, and while it is in a way, it was not an insufferable, punishing film, it was a great movie-going experience and a well made, unhurried, anti-studio film.
Joker was a complete surprise, it's a true film of our time. Completely current and modern and on the pulse even with this retro flavour and backdrop of 70's exploitation inspired New York doubling for Gotham. As a fan of the comics, the bin strike, the rats, the trains, the divide between rich and poor, the look and feel of the film is a superb rendering of Gotham, better than every other and a far cry from the Heat-inspired Chicago-double in Nolan's films.
On the subject of the city, I did see the film in a Dolby Atmos cinema, but the aural scape is truly rich and amazing, it should get an Oscar for its sound mix. And that's without commenting on the music, with reverent stings of The Dark Knight when appropriate, the whimsy is a unique kind, a dark twisted carnival of Fleck's mind. Hildur Guðnadóttir''s score is the sound of the dissent, the sound of Joker's innards, it's not aggressive like Zimmer, it's sad and aching and lyrical as well as hideous.
A friend had said before I watched it, that Joker was an origin story that gave explanation as to why The Batman doesn't just kill him, and instead wants to try and rehabilitate him. And he was right, the film is about a failing system, rich and poor divides, Inadequately supported mental illness, loneliness, lies, power, cult following, belongingness and being forgotten. It's not exclusively about violence or crazy. And both Batman and Joker were born of violence and connected in a myriad of possibilities.
And it's the amount of plausible deniability at fan theories and the red herrings and questions surrounding the ending, that makes it such a clever movie. It could go anywhere within the canon of DC or exist on its own. It feels rather like a great one shot comic like The Killing Joke, it's through and through a comic book movie, except a reverent one, not content with converting and perverting the source material for maximum box office appeal and gains.
Joaquin is obviously a powerhouse, he imbues his performance with such sadness and pathos that he's watchable in every scene and I'm made to feel so sorry for him and his conditions, even in the face of all of his deeds. And De Niro constantly reminds me how good he is whenever I forget. I was at a Q&A with Director Todd Phillips and he noted again that when Obama was elected he made three hangover films. When Trump was elected he made Joker. This is a film we need right now.