“Is it just me, or is it getting crazier out there?”, Arthur Fleck ponders out loud to his overloaded therapist with a weary glance over the grim Gotham horizon. Rhetorical as the question may be, Arthur’s observation is unnerving in its precise resonance with the increasingly divided, frightening world we live in. Failed comedian Arthur works as a party clown and lives in a rundown apartment with his frail mother. Bullied, marginalised and desperate to be noticed by those around him, Arthur slowly unravels into madness as he begins his metamorphosis into the criminal mastermind and chaos-seeking anarchist known as the Joker.
To deem ‘Joker’ the most polarising film of 2019 is an understatement in itself. As the release of Todd Phillips’ gritty character driven piece ticked closer, the waves of heated controversy surrounding the film, more so the real-life violence the actions of the unstable lead could inspire in the eyes of some, showed no signs of dying down, giving the film the publicity it craved if it ever stood a chance in the congested blockbuster market. I went into ‘Joker’ with a list of my own concerns: will it legitimise violence? Will it send out a pro-anarchy message? Is it totally normal now to sympathise with the motives of alleged ‘villains’? More worryingly, will this film give people with psychopathic tendencies a platform to justify their actions? The end result hasn’t completely calmed my concerns, but the film’s many triumphs are enough to forget about them for now. It’s only fiction, right?
The most crucial factor to the success of ‘Joker’ is its central performance. Fans of Heath Ledger’s Joker need not worry, for Joaquin Phoenix doesn’t try to imitate the late actor. Whereas Ledger’s portrayal lacked backstory, motive and explanation, what stands out here is Phoenix’s excruciating commitment in getting under the character’s skin to be fully immersed in his turmoil. As a consistently impressive actor whose talent has no boundaries, Phoenix is on tremendous form here and will no doubt be having the last laugh in awards season. His natural ferocity and weary ruggedness works as a distinctive foil to arch nemesis-to-be Bruce Wayne’s choir boy youthfulness. My advice to anyone planning to see this film is not to make comparisons to Ledger’s Joker, as it will ruin the intoxicating effect of Phoenix’s turn. Robert De Niro does decent work as a slippery talk show host, but his purpose is more narrative than to be anyone of interest. Then again, De Niro would be hard pressed to try and steal the spotlight from Phoenix’s virtuoso performance.
The parallels ‘Joker’ draws to current affairs are executed with sophisticated flourish without talking down to us. Gotham City is in a state of disarray rife with crime, unemployment and corruption. Government funding for social services has been scrapped. Trumpian career politicians i.e. businessman/mayoral candidate Thomas Wayne publicly denounce disruptive behaviour and vow to help those in need without any intention of doing so. So poignantly integrated are the political overtones in this alternative take on comic book tropes, the real monster of this story is society for its ignorance of those who are deprived of the resources to prosper. Phillips could afford to go that bit further in confronting the effects of poor mental health issues on victims, as there are more facets of Arthur’s mental anguish worth exploring than just what make him depressed. Arthur’s interpretive dance to Gary Glitter’s ‘Rock and Roll Part 2′ is bound to divide viewers with the questionable track choice, but then again the Joker doesn’t play by the rules of what we can and can’t do. There are hints of Scorsese’s 1970s films in the nocturnal lightning and film noir aesthetic, but these cinematic techniques are also symbolic of Arthur’s fragmented world without deterring our experience of the film.
In Todd Phillips’ towering masterpiece, there is one counterintuitive problem. The sheer brilliance of ‘Joker’ is confirmation that DC has temporarily run out of ideas to compete with Marvel’s trailblazing domination of the superhero market. Cynical as I am, but the brains behind ‘Joker’ have had to come up with something half original upon realising that DC don’t have an engaging enough hero to generate easy cash anymore – Jason Momoa’s six pack abs don’t pass for superhero credentials. ‘Joker’ fits in quite seamlessly with the string of badass stories that give the misunderstood ‘villain’ a voice, though this one is far superior to predecessor attempts such as the critically loathed ‘Venom’. ‘Joker’ is a politically charged, at times provocative film that manages to be more layered than a formulaic comic book adaptation. Through the dark tone and risky departure from the source material, ‘Joker’ emerges as a bleak, compelling character study that refuses to rely on capes and spandex to maintain our interest.
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