A Masterful Psychological Thriller

Rating: 9/10 (1 January 2020)

Avoid anyone who gives this film a score lower than a four and take the reviews that say it is a perfect 10/10 with a grain of salt. This movie is about the psyche of a man by the name of Arthur Fleck (The Joker) who downtrodden by society to the greatest extent. Joker isn't the most intellectually stimulating movie but it gets close to being up there, it blurs the lines between what is actually happening and what is just one of the Joker's hallucinations.
Joker explores themes behind how being a good person and thinking about how you treat others can have a greatly positive effect on the world (sounds childish but is executed very well) and what society can do to someone who doesn't fit in. If Arthur had someone to vent to and someone to talk too, just one friend, then this movie would be the opposite of what it is in its current state but he doesn't have that so it shows the implications in a raw and visceral fashion. All he has is the cruel, harsh world.
I understand some people wouldn't like this movie just because of the premise of someone insane lashing out at society but it is still worth watching for the following reasons:
Joaquin Phoenix was amazing, his performance was truly amazing.
The cinematography was great and the dialogue is good without falling into the trap of being overwritten.
The interactions the titular Arthur Fleck has with the world and other people are amazing.
The movie is spectacularly directed and the pace never feels either too slow or too fast for me. Some people complain that this movie feels like it goes on for three hours but only has a two hour running time, I did in fact feel the same way but only because so much was happening in such a short amount of time and actually made me enjoy the movie more.
This bleak depiction of Gotham truly brings out the best in the city, the trash piling up on the streets, the mugging, the cold streets. At one point The Joker says (I'm slightly paraphrasing as this is written from memory) that if he was found dead on the streets nobody would care and I have a feeling that this is probably true.
The film can get very emotionally gripping at times, Arthur Fleck's relationships to his mother and to his "girlfriend" are both very emotionally gripping.
My complaints are simply that this movie feels like it is longer than it actually is because of how much happens and that might annoy some people.
A few of my friends think it is trying to hard to be smart that it comes of as pseudo-intellectual but I don't see it.
Sorry for any bad grammar, English is my second language.