Joker: A killing joke

Rating: 10/10 (5 October 2019)

'Joker' is all about a man being pushed down all the way until he finally snaps. And mind you, by 'Snap' I do not mean - 'to give up'. When a man snaps, he is oblivious to all boundaries of morality and righteousness - which brings us to the very transition of Arthur Fleck to 'The Joker'. This movie describes why 'The Joker' was created in the first place. It is not a typical DC movie in which there is a certain motive that has to be fulfilled by the protagonist or the antagonist concerned and this is why I believe, it stands out. Overly critical viewers might be a tad disappointed regarding the plot of the movie because - simply put, this movie has no plot. It is definitely not an origin story since the director has taken a completely new take on the character. We don't see Arthur Fleck drowning in a tank of boiling chemicals only to emerge as a completely psychotic individual whose sole objective is to watch the world burn.
Rather we see a man being thrown into an utterly bullish society devoid of any empathy
The man is bullied to such an extent that he doesn't even consider his life to be a tragedy anymore. And as Arthur puts it plainly - "All my life I didn't even know I existed, but now I do and people are starting to notice"
The moment he snaps he finally realises that his life was a comedy - a joke. A killing one. Not one, being killed.
'Joker' is a beautiful movie. Not because it attempts to discover a completely new aspect of the world's most iconic villain of all time but because it successfully justifies "The Joker's" perspective in front of the audience to the point at which the audience is compelled to cheer for everything the joker does. The movie brainwashes its audience who were already finicky about it.
A man being pushed down to such an extent that all he has to lose - is nothing
And boy has Joaquin Phoenix delivered an absolute masterpiece. He is a brilliant actor and has justified it over and over again with his movies. But, just like Heath Ledger, he was born to play 'The Joker' and I am glad his decision hasn't taken a toll on his mental health. "The Joker" is a character who thrives in pandemonium. He is a sergeant of mayhem and to do justice to his character is an improbable task for any actor. But Phoenix is not an ordinary actor. If you have seen, 'You Were Never Really Here' you would probably understand why Joaquin was cast as the Joker. He somehow understands what a 'broken man' means - primarily because he himself had struggled immensely for the vast majority of his life. He has carried Heath Ledger's legacy forward and we deserved it. We have waited for over a decade for it.
It would be criminally unjust to assert that Joaquin betters Heath as "The Joker" because both of them had different roles albeit the same character, but entirely separate storylines to follow. Heath Ledger's Joker was all about watching the world burn but Nolan's movie provided no specific backdrop to his character. All we knew was - he had a drunk and abusive father. Joaquin's Joker also wants to watch the world burn but his movie justifies his stance. The latter one succeeds in connecting with the audience while the former, leaves the audience speechless with his persona and his meticulous acts of complete madness all the while providing match up for his greatest nemesis - The Batman.
We don't see the intelligence or the brilliantly thought out plans of "The Joker" in this movie. The movie is more of a character study which is glorified by its actors. Joaquin Phoenix wins the Oscar for the Best Actor's Award for the "Joker". Yes you read it first here. The movie conveys a message. Probably an important one but the way it has been carried out is wrong because of course - "The Joker" is a villain. You know, the bad guy who does bad stuff like mass murdering and carrying out bomb blasts. But then again, Joaquin Phoenix's excellence makes you oblivious to all of that. I am a massive "Joker" fan, I'll tell you that and I wanted Arthur to snap as quickly as possible and boom! Become the Joker and do the badass stuff. But believe me, Joaquin Phoenix's portrayal is so strong and unreal that the audience is bound to connect with his character. It is as if you root for him to not snap. You feel uncomfortable when his colleagues bully him and you feel equally betrayed when he discovers the truth about his delusional mum. I still remember this one time, when the audience in the Hall cheered and hooted for "The Joker" when he went up to the talk show host and shot him dead. Such was the strength of Joaquin's performance that it compelled the audience to cheer for the worst sin a man could carry out.

"Joker" is a masterpiece. You have read it hundreds of times and you read it again here. You go to the theatre expecting nothing because you probably know it has nothing to do with the DCEU, but when you come out, you somehow develop a soft spot for the most infamous comic book villain of all time. And all of this is credited to Joaquin Phoenix's performance.Starting from the iconic "Joker" laugh to an evident insanity in his eyes, everything good about his performance is a major plus for this movie. He carries the movie all along and he is present with his mesmerizing persona in each and every frame of it. The audience loves "The Joker". The more you give him to them, the better the movie becomes. That's how you win the critics -> Warner Bros.