Joker
Surely it seemed to be a completely insurmountable task to even consider anyone trying to follow in Heath Ledgerâs footsteps following his Oscar winning performance as The Joker in 2008âs Dark Knight. Literally throwing himself so much into the role that a case can be made that it eventually cost the actor his own life via an overdose, Ledger established such a high bar that the first attempt afterwards to take on the character by another Oscar winner in Jared Leto wound up being met with derision and scorn by the masses, resulting in that version of the character being phased out in favor of Margot Robbieâs much better received Harley Quinn. However, a seemingly Hail Mary attempt to not only revive the character, but also to do a definitive version of The Joker by finally relating his mysterious backstory was embarked upon by one Todd Phillips, previously a maker of mostly cornball post 2000s comedies and in so doing he was able to secure an early promise from both DC Comics and Warner Brothers not only that he be allowed to shoot for making an R rated odyssey of darkness, but also be given a (much) lower budget than most comic book films would normally receive. The rewards that would be reaped were incredibly substantial, becoming the first (and still only) R rated film to break the worldwide $1 billion box office mark and more importantly, ride the annual movie awards circuit all the way to having big wins at The Oscars themselves. How did he do it? First of all, there was the creative freedom that came with doing a full scale Joker origin story: The character was never formally given one in the comic books, having been portrayed (as he was in Dark Knight) as being a completely insane yet anonymous figure who had simply emerged out of the depths of Gotham Cityâs darkness, although he obviously had taken extra careful measures to not only conceal his true identity and past life, but in so doing had left both the cops and Batman himself totally baffled in wondering just who in the hell this guy really was (even after being taken into custody and sent to the lunatic asylum), so Philips was allowed to take creative liberties with both the story and presentation provided that it match up with the later known, canonized versions of The Joker. But as great as that all sounded, it wouldnât have meant a damn thing without the right actor who was willing to go all the way with the character and the depths that needed to be reached in order to pull it off. Fortunately, Joaquin Phoenix turned out to be both available and willing which was fortuitous given he was Phillipsâ first and only choice (although the studio had tried to push DiCaprio onto him at one point) and Phoenix would wind up tearing through the awards circuit with a thunder and fury almost previously unheard of as he pretty much won everything (or at least everything worth winning) before finally ending up holding the Best Actor Oscar in his hands (as opposed to Ledger who had posthumously won Supporting). Phoenixâs dedication was profound to say the least, studying up on psychiatry, going on a massive weight loss regimen so that he barely resembled his usual self and reportedly finding new angles and approaches to play the character right up to the final day of filming (not to mention being well into his forties at the time but successfully playing younger because itâs pretty clear that his character wasnât taking very good care of himself). For the purposes of this story, The Joker was originally a man named Arthur Fleck, a person with an obviously long history of mental illness who works as a clown for hire through an actual temp agency that provides such things for certain people and businesses looking to hire one. Unfortunately for him, the world is becoming more hostile and tense and not just in his direction. The Gotham City crime rate is way up, the sanitation department is on strike which prevents any pickup of peopleâs garbage and young people are running wild in the streets randomly attacking and robbing others which is what happens to Arthur in the beginning of the film when he is assaulted during a clown gig and later is unfairly chewed out by his boss for not fulfilling his required duties of said gig. Moreso, Arthur has a tendency to make most people he encounters highly uncomfortable around him and even invoke their hostility at times which are reactions that he doesnât intend to cause but the only one who seems to treat him decently is his bedridden mom (Francis Conroy) who appears to have her own predilection to constantly write letters to one Thomas Wayne (Batmanâs dad, played here by Brett Cullen) about how he needs to help improve things in the city and possibly even run for Mayor. Then one day Arthur gets the worst news imaginable from his social worker: due to cutbacks in funding by the city health department, he will no longer be able to receive his healthcare benefits, nor will he be able to obtain his medication any longer. At this point in time it is important to understand (since everything is from Arthurâs point of view right down to the most exact detail) that much of what happens from here on out is (theoretically) a complete if not total blur of delusional fantasy with reality as Arthur inadvertently (through an act of self defense) creates and becomes the symbol for a clown uprising of sorts with the main tenets being that of killing the rich who are seen as being uncaring towards the less fortunate (with this filmâs version of Thomas Wayne being portrayed as a cold hearted prick and not as the saintly figure whom we usually see) along with various developments in both Arthurâs personal and professional life that lead to him not only becoming a murderer, but also The Clown Prince Of Crime whom we all know and fear to this day with the crazed final minutes being where we can now clearly see the distinct resemblance between Arthur and Heath Ledgerâs legendary portrayal which in turn would mark this squarely as being the backstory for the Ledger / Chris Nolan version of The Joker. But in the early moments of the film (almost purposely filmed as to be nondescript), watching Phoenixâs performance as an unstable loner actually evokes memories of another legendary portrayal of this kind, that of Robert DeNiro as Travis Bickle in Taxi Driver. In fact, the vibe itself becomes so strong that it literally requires needing to have DeNiro himself show up in a supporting role as a local Gotham talk show host whom Arthur (himself an aspiring stand up comic even if his act isnât so good) idolizes in order to help us do away with the Taxi Driver comparisons and once that demon is exorcised does another one appear, as DeNiroâs own Johnny Carson type schtick (and Arthurâs desire to be a guest on his show) evokes memories of DeNiroâs Rupert Pupkin in The King Of Comedy, apparently passing on the torch to the next obsessed generation. And amazingly, this entire cross pollination of different cinematic landscapes works to a tee, creating a surreal, dĂ©jĂ vu feeling for the viewer that leaves them disoriented and all the more privy to experiencing Arthurâs incoming sets of delusions and hallucinations that make up the bulk of the film all leading up to some brilliantly key plot points, mainly that The Joker had envisioned himself as being a sort of rock star amongst criminals and misfits even before he had ever embarked on his own real life rampages and also that the circumstances that had âcreatedâ him was not only an uncaring system, but uncaring PEOPLE as well, individuals who in encountering him and seeing that he was odd and different, would treat him like shit and not care about furthering the trauma which he had already sustained, hence putting forth the movieâs simple yet effective, non political message that human beings simply being kind to each other all the time could potentially cut down on possible crazed types who would harm others, a message so succinct that writer / director Phillips clearly deserved to be honored on every awards podium which Phoenix had successfully graced, blending fantasy and reality so effectively that by the end weâre not quite sure if this really IS the backstory for the same Joker who would later take on Batman (Phillips says it might be while Phoenix says yes it definitely is) but regardless in terms of both acclaim and box office, this gritty little drama wound up putting its bigger and more elaborate counterparts to shameâŠ
10/10