Joker

An ACE Chemicals vat of acid, a child circus performer, the death of an unborn child, Red Hood.

We’ve seen a few different origins for the Joker, the most famous of Batman’s legendary Rogue’s Gallery. In The Dark Knight and Suicide Squad, the decision was made to forgo an origin at all and the character still stands tall as one the best villains on page or screen.

Against all odds though, especially considering DC’s most recent output on screens small and big, Todd Phillips has just created the definitive origin for the character in the masterful Joker.

Standing apart from the mediocrity of the DCEU, and supposedly kick-starting a new ‘DC Black’ universe, this 80’s set masterpiece has put the studio back in fan’s good books and has shown Marvel how to create a villain movie as the exact antithesis to the horror show that was Venom.

This is a slow and methodical film, a character study. One man’s descent into madness through nature and nurture. A relevant and haunting portrayal of a villain created, nurtured and praised by society. Ignore the past setting and the fictional Gotham, this is an indictment of the times we’re living in right now.

It’s the origin no one thought possible, everything here fits with the character we know and love. His maniacal laugh is a debilitating condition that Arthur Fleck (before he adopts his more famous nom de guerre) has to contend with, his aspiration to become a stand up comedian mocked on national television by his idol, beaten by hoodlum kids working his day job to support his ailing mother who, in turn, has her request for support ignored by her former employer - a certain Mr Thomas Wayne.

You sympathise with Fleck, he’s beaten down by society. His support worker doesn’t listen to him, offering seven different medications to control his psychosis. He fantasises about a world unknown to him, a world he can’t become a part of.

He’s all too real a creation, all too real a story. The Joker is nominally a mirror to Batman, showing us the darkness buried beneath, the line between rules and no rules. Here, it’s a mirror to the viewer; the corruptible soul, a paean to the disenchanted and disenfranchised. Some have accused the film of lacking a moral compass, of glorifying violence. This could not be further from the truth. This film is a warning.

When the violence hits, it’s sickening. Stark and remorseless enough to lose the goodwill you’d stored for this character. We’re reminded that he’s a villain, saddened that we can see the cut strings that led to this downfall.

It’s the most rounded portrayal of the character we’ve ever seen. Joaquin Phoenix, with no histrionics, embodies the tragedy in the Joker’s story. It’s a masterful, Oscar-worthy performance filled with pathos, humility and brutality liberally sprinkled with a new, iconic look for the villain which could supersede Ledgers as the Halloween outfit of choice.

It’s a jaw-dropping film, stuffed with heritage. There are nods to Nolan’s Joker: a clown mask over the makeup, a scene in the back of a police car and the masterful score by Hildur Guðnadóttir whose low notes just subtly harking back to the iconic Dark Knight soundtrack. The film also features both Zazie Beetz and Brian Tyree Henry from Atlanta, there’s no ostensible link to the show but it adds to the feeling of class in the project alongside the presence of Robert De Niro.

An unflinching and devastatingly moral look at hate and empathy which feels worryingly like a one-off and one of the best comic book movies ever made.

5 stars *****