A Work of Art

Rating: 10/10 (3 January 2020)

Heath Ledger's portrayal of the Joker walked the line between evil and demented. His motive wasn't for money or revenge. He wanted to expose the fallacies of humans that deep down inside, we are all as twisted as him...he's just ahead of the curve. From Harvey to Batman fleeing in the final scene, Joker was the only villain to have won.
Rewind back before the Joker became the evil genius of the dark lore. When he was working clown gigs, taking 7 different anti-psychotics, scheduled visits with a mental health specialist, while bathing and feeding his mother. A crab in the bucket of poverty. A victim of the broken system that divided the wealthy and the working class to demeaning jobs and inept mental health facilities. He was slowly discovering how his life was meaningless. He was gaining a perspective on how the world views him as...a joke.
Joaquin Phoenix plays the beaten down Arthur Fleck to perfection. An unassuming altruistic son while his counterpart, Thomas Wayne, plays the egotistical politician of Gotham. In the Dark Knight, Thomas Wayne is the sympathetic voice of compassion. A philanthropist behind the scenes who let's his board members deal with the politics. In this film, he is loud, brash and comes across aggressive, like a punch to the face. He is the antithesis of what the Wayne family stood for in the Dark Knight series.
"those of us who have made something of ourselves will always look at those who haven't as nothing but clowns," Thomas Wayne says. And a mob of angry clowns is what he gets.
The established elite comes to a conflict with the forgotten poor and it all comes to a boil in the final riot where Arthur makes his transformation to the Joker in the same scene Batman is born.
This film is as perfect as origin movies get. It transcends genres and can stand alone. The throw back setting is perfectly matched with the rich techni-colors. The music deservedly received recognition for best score. The director Todd Philips presents the film through Arthur's view. This brings a side to Joker that viewers can almost sympathize or relate, only if he wasn't a psychotic homocide killer deep down inside. But there is still a humanity the viewers can appreciate, like the scene between Arthur and Gary. The catalyst of the public acceptance of the Joker is best said by his social service worker...
"They don't give a shit about people like you Arthur. And they don't give a shit about people like me either."
This film is a winner.