Review: Joker (2019)

'The worst part of having a mental illness is people expect you to behave as if you don't.'

★★★½

Who would've thought that the director of "The Hangover" would direct a dark film like this? I certainly wasn't expecting that. But regardless, this is his second best film, behind "The Hangover," the first one, at least. The sequels were underwhelming. But hey, at least "Joker" is a lot better than those.

This film dives into the psychological perspective of Arthur Fleck, or as he's better known as "Joker." Throughout each "Batman" movie, we only know The Joker as a villain, with glimpses of his identiy. We know he's a villain, but an intelligent on that. But we never really know who he is, where does he come from, and why does he act the way he does. Anyone who's read the comics already know that answer, but anyone who hasn't would certainly like to know.

"Joker (2019)" stars Joaquin Phoenix as Arthur Fleck, a mentally troubled man living in Gotham City who works as a clown-for-hire while aspiring to be a stand-up comedian. Shunned and mistreated by society, Arthur's mental health spirals, and he begins to embrace violent tendencies. His transformation into the Joker is triggered by a series of tragic and humiliating events, including a pivotal appearance on a late-night talk show hosted by Murray Franklin (Robert De Niro). The film delves into Arthur's descent into madness, highlighting how societal neglect and alienation contribute to his eventual embodiment of chaos and rebellion.

When it comes to Joker actors, Joaquin Phoenix is up there as one of the best Jokers, behind the late Heath Ledger and Jack Nicholson. I'm very glad they decided to recast Joker instead of bringing in Jared Leto. Man, was that a terrible choice. If Leto was in this, this film would've been absolutely terrible and a big middle finger to the character. With Phoenix, we're able to understand the character, get to know him, and understand what his desires are. We get to feel his pain, his feeling of neglect, his struggles with his heritage, the type of jokes he makes, and why he ends up going crazy.

Joker kills 6 people in this movie. The first being three guys in a subway, which, if i'm not mistaken, is a reference to the movie, Death Wish. This movie is not only inspired by "Death Wish," but also "Taxi Driver," which Robert De Niro happens to star in both, "Taxi Driver" and "Joker." But going back to the killings, that is part of the character himself. After killing those three men on the subway, he learns he was adopted and abused as a child, which sends him over the edge. He suffocates his mother (Frances Conroy), stabs the former co-worker (Glenn Fleshler) who gave him that gun, and discovers his relationship with Sophie Dumond (Zazie Beetz) wasn't real.

The darkness of this film may be unsettling for most audience members, but if you understand how dark, crazy, and twisted, this character and its comic books are, then you can handle this film. Being a fan of book "Marvel" and "DC" comic books myself, I was able to enjoy this both as a movie fan and a comic book fan. It's a nice change from a superhero perspective, which can allow us to sympathize with these villains. Even though killing people is wrong.