Almost Perfect, relies a little to much on some old classics

Rating: 9/10 (15 October 2019)

I love this movie and have seen twice in theatres and I plan on taking a friend of mine to it this weekend. This movie takes a tragic situation and shows a dark side of mankind. On display is the raw hate, greed, vengeance and lack of empathy that can destroy a society; it is all on display in a very visceral performance. Joaquin Phoenix at least deserves an Oscar nomination for his unhinged portrayal of a man that would eventually become the crown prince of crime. I only have one complaint about the movie it is minor which is why I can only give it a 9.5. That complaint is that it steals a little to much from "The King of Comedy" and "Taxi Driver", two movies that I love that only a few in the modern movie audience have seen. It's reliance on some of those scenes telegraphs a few of the upcoming scenes a bit to much for my taste, but if you have yet to see those two movies it won't bother you. Simply put this is a master work of our time.