Joker  (2019)

A Review of the Movie as Available on Jio Cinemas/ YouTube

Mark Hamill, who voices the Clown Prince of Crime in the animated series, endorsed the Joker via Twitter, as did Josh Brolin (Thanos) and Michael Moore. If these endorsements don't provide enough credibility as it is, I don't know what will.

Joker is a film about Arthur Fleck, a small struggling party clown, who has a laughing disorder, suffers from hallucinations and delusional behavior, and takes care of his ailing mother. Gotham, the city where he resides, is abjectly cruel to him, through the everyday interactions, lack of mental health institutions and support. Yet Arthur gets back up on his feet again and again and again, until the sole reason for his optimism and strength, late night TV host Murray Franklin, makes fun of him. There on, begins his downward spiral, ultimately culminating in his emergence as Joker.

Joaquin Phoenix is at his best here. No question or doubt. From his physical transformation to a man of thin build who barely gets food to eat, to the apt adoption of mannerisms that manifest as a result of his harsh past, to the crooked way the Joker thinks, Phoenix has them all on point. He is one who has entranced the watcher into believing how victimised he is, cry with him in one scene and give a dramatic evil laugh and a jump in the other.

Through the course of this movie, the Joker understands that he doesn't need to cage himself for Gotham needs brutality to survive and when the Joker is finally released, one gets a haunting feeling that this mirror to our real world is something no one wishes to acknowledge.

Recommend or not: Definitely Recommended

Stars: 4.5/5 stars

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