A cinematic achievement in the 100 years of cinema.

Rating: 10/10 (18 October 2019)

JOKER 2019
Joaquin Phoenix, Todd Philips & Scott Silver's JOKER is the ULTIMATE punchline to the 'joke' called society. It is a bold, raw, devastating and hauntingly beautiful character study, a social commentary and a flawless masterpiece - a cinematic achievement in the 100 years of cinema. It unfolds very very slowly but as it does, it punches you in the guts, punches you hard.
Let me go back to one and a half year or more ago when they announced the movie. Being a hardcore Joker fan, I wasn't overly excited as I knew (as did everyone) that it is not possible to outdo Heath Ledger's performance as Joker. I was still intrigued as I heard Martin Scorcese was involved and Joaquin Phoenix was cast as the role with Robert De Niro in it. I wanted that different, crime-driven version. Then, over the course of last 12 months LOTs and LOTs of leaked photos and behind-the-scenes footages came out, and I wasn't quite liking what I saw. The production team seemed lazy as per security and keeping secret, something someone like Christopher Nolan wouldn't do. Then I heard that the script was being rewritten almost every day (which is usually a recipe for disaster) and my expectations were further down and it wasn't even my most anticipated this year, then there was the matter of confidence on Director Todd Philips who directed the crime-driven comedy 'The Hangover'. THEN, the unexpected happened and we got to see the first trailer and the second. And then, last month, the reviews came in, the movie won an 8 minute standing ovation from Venice Film Festival screening and won the 'Golden Lion'. Some of the hardest reviewers gave it full marks and called it either a masterpiece, or a cinematic achievement, or that a comic book movie has never been done in such way, and this opens up new doors and changes the movie industry forever. Well....whatever you heard and read are all true.
Joaquin Phoenix gave a performance that cannot be described in words, even if I talk about it in person I will fail to describe it. I have never seen any performance like this, and I watch a LOT of cinemas. He did something impossible to the character that left us all awestruck and in disbelief. His version of Joker is of course different (the greatness of Joker character is - it is multi layered and can be approached in different ways) but if I'd have to compare it, it goes on par with Heath Ledger's Joker or maybe even outshines him. If I consider the best actors (Oscar Winners) for the last few years namely, Matthew Mcconaughey, Mahershala Ali, or Rami Malek, they were all brilliant but Phoenix outshines them all (little known fact, Phoenix did almost all his shots in single takes :O). Joaquin Phoenix has BECOME Joker. My sincere gratitude to Todd Philips, as whatever rewrites and plans he did, it came out as a beautiful bright art. It took him a whole year to convince Warner Brothers to greenlight the movie and 5 visits to Joaquin Phoenix's house to convince him. His depiction of Gotham city is raw, filthy and perfect. Cinematography also is Oscar worthy and so is the story. Hildur Guðnadóttir's unforgettable score for the movie not only is a perfection but it almost literally talks to you during moments, especially during times when you're confused as to what is going on inside Arthur Fleck's (Joker) mind.
Joaquin Phoenix's Joker will sadden you, cheer you, scare you, haunt you, and finally leave you scarred. Yes this movie is not for everyone and of course children should definitely avoid it. In the end, you will not know how much of it you can believe or was real, it leaves you to your imagination. So if you think this Joker has a definitive origin as opposed to Heath Ledger's mysterious Joker.....wrong, it leaves you to interpret it on your own way. When there is chaos we always try to point it all to someone, in JOKER though you wouldn't know whether you should point you finger to the society or Joker himself. When everything spirals out of control do you still endure it, or do you cross that thin line, or do you put a bullet through your head, what would YOU do given the same situation, because Arthur Fleck is one of us. Therein lies the mastery of the movie. During the final punchline of it you will roar as we all did - WE ARE ALL CLOWNS, LET'S PUT ON A HAPPY FACE.
As Arthur would say "I used to think my life was a tragedy, now I know it's a comedy", apart from what this line represents, the final shot of the movie ends with a comedy. This movie will win multiple awards and Oscars as per my prediction and will be talked about for years. Indeed, one of the greatest cinematic achievement created with a $ 55 million budget. Don't wait for blu-ray, run to the theaters and believe me, it is worth every single penny of yours. This movie is disturbingly real, and relatable.
I've seen it 3 times already and still stuck with the HAHAs in my head. I'm giving it a 10/10.