A VERY GOOD FILM, BUT NOT A MASTERPIECE

Rating: 9/10 (2 December 2019)

MINOR SPOILER
This is as close as an art arthouse film we ae ever going to get as comicbook films go. This is how you set up any character, let alone any villain. Tragic backstory and a dire setting. It's actually feels almost like a superhero origin story, with only his choices were the ones that a bit different making him separate from the heroes.
This film definitely uses source materials, comics and films alike. It has the vibe or the tone of Taxi Driver, the story is a bit like a cross between The Killing Joke and The King of Comedy, where in the Killing Joke he's also a failed standup comedian and in King of Comedy where he's obsessed with the talk show. The talk show scene instantly reminds me of the same scene in The Dark Knight Returns where the Joker was also invited on a tv talkshow.
Joaquin Phoenix showcases his talent to a tee here. I guess it helps a bit when he himself is a bid awkward and intimate in his interviews (Google his interview with Will Ferrell if you don't believe me). The transition of Arthur slowly becoming Joker is very well handled. You can feel that he's very sad and depressed when he's Arthur but he came alive and finally content with himself when he's Joker. Almost to the point where you wants him to become Joker faster so that he wouldn't be so miserable anymore.
Gore? What gore? Honestly, I think the violence in this film is quite tame (unless LPF cuts the more gory scenes). It mostly uses audio cues instead of visual to convey the violence, which probably made it better since the sound effect sound very realistic. If you never seen any gore films you would probably call this a gory film. But if you had then it's no Martyrs.
The only thing that I dislike is that the director show things a bit too obvious. I understood why he did that (probably don't want his audience to be confused), but it would have been better had he left some things more ambiguous. That would have left a bigger impact in my opinion.
Overall, Joker is a very very good film. If you're not a usual comicbook film fan and you mostly enjoy character study films, then this film is for you. If you love mindless action and hates heavily dialogue films, then this film might upset you.