"Joker" is wildly unsettling and a near masterpiece.

Rating: 9/10 (7 October 2019)

"Joker" is a daring, unsettling and masterful character study that will leave you in awe.
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In this psychological thriller, a mentally ill failed stand-up comedian named Arthur Fleck, turns to a life of crime in Gotham City.
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The thing I absolutely loved about "Joker" is the slow burn. From the opening shot, Phoenix and Phillips are able to convey a knot in your stomach and that feeling doesn't go away until long after you've seen the movie. Joaquin Phoenix is the real deal. A complete game changer in method acting, he is hypnotizing. That is the perfect word to describe the performance; hypnotizing. A true Oscar contender and it will be hard to beat his performance because it is the best of the year. Will I compare Phoenix's performance to Heath Ledger's? No. That was the past and this is the now, and Phoenix's performance is what we need now. Aside from being a brilliant stand alone film, "Joker" pays hommages to so many great films of its genre from the 70s and 80s. The cinematography is outstanding and the score is simply haunting. I'll also mention that you will never listen to Frank Sinatra's "That's Life" the same again. Bottom line: yes, you should see this movie.
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