Better Than Average Super-Villain Film - Joker

Rating: 6/10 (30 January 2020)

To be fair, Joaquin Phoenix did a great job in this film. The dark, depressing mood is carefully cultivated by the director and cinematographer, who also do commendable work. However, the script suffers from another case of out-of-perioditis. This character and Batman belong in the 1930s, and screenwriters, directors and producers seem to make the same mistake over and over again by trying to put Batman and the Joker in the seventies or even a more modern era. The phony poor people killing the rich was far more likely to occur during the Depression of the 30s rather than the post WW2 era. I liked the Taxi Driver and King of Comedy tributes to DeNiro, But the film played more like Death Wish with the Getz killings copied almost identically to the real event. By the way, most rich people don't take the subways; they take taxis. Nice eye candy though. I hope Phoenix gets the Award, now that Sandler has been disrespected by the Academy by not even getting nominated for Uncut Gems.