Decent descent into a demented mind

Rating: 7/10 (14 October 2019)

"Joker" is good. JoaquÃ­n does an excellent job as lifelong punching bag, Arthur Fleck. He lives with his unwell mother, caring for her and working as a clown for hire. He dreams of being a stand up comedian, working with his hero, Murray Franklin (played by Robert de Niro). But life has other plans. A childhood of abuse and neglect has caused Arthur some serious mental and social issues. But is it his ill health or the ill health of society that will be change him into the clown prince?
"joker" played well with ambiguity throughout its runtime. Besides the obvious laugh at inopportune moments, Arthur's mental state, heritage and fate are all cataclysmically mixed up in truth and lie. Where the joke begins and ends depends on the viewer. Even in its final moments, red footprints contrasting the dizzying peace of the blissful scene, its hard to know what has happened just moments before. Todd "the hangover" Phillips keeps a tight hold on Arthur's story throughout in his direction. The beautiful colour palettes and wondrous gaze of a camera lingering on moments of extreme violence is captivating, to be sure.
However, Phillips' style over substance can onyy take him so far and where the film flops is in its decision to dig through the dirt of joker's origin story. Far too streamlined, the film seems to be more interested in ticking boxes on its way to a conclusion, rather than doing anything new. Perhaps his accidental rise to figurehead of a generation disillusioned by disparate wealth is a realistic approach instead of "falls into toxic vat, comes back as criminal mastermind" but none of the charm of the established Joker is present here. Hes just a sad sack with mental health problems. Even a turning point at the beginning of the final act in which he states hes "not wrong, this is who I've always been" feels untrue. Joker is a maniac and genius. I wish there had been more hints at his troubled but wonderfully corrupt mind throughout, instead of a final rant that gets cut short.
Phillips aimed high, and the cast certainly pulled their weight, but the story, for such an enigmatic, charismatic villain of lore just does not do the source material justice.