Venice Film Festival 2019: JOKER

It is a time of change and wonder for Warner Bros and their DC Comics universe. The poorly established DCEU is no more. The end is nigh, and the departures are in full effect. Gone is Ben Affleck as the caped crusader and his all American counterpart Henry Cavill as Superman is not long behind him. Warner Bros have turned to War of the Planet of the Apes director Matt Reeves to reboot the Dark Knight with indie heartthrob Robert Pattinson filling the cowl. What pricked many peoples ears was a strange little side venture put their way in the shape of an R-rated standalone Joker origin story from The Hangover director Todd Phillips, starring none other than Academy Award-nominated Joaquin Phoenix and executive produced by none other than Martin Scorsese.

Joker follows Arthur Fleck, a chronically shy and downtrodden member of Gotham society who is trying to get by in life that with every turn wants to beat him down to a pulp. The fire and fury of a troubled Gotham City intensifies and rages with Phoenix’s Arthur Fleck dead centre in the firing range.

Phillips’ film is nothing like the casual viewer of this genre has really ever seen quite like this before. Phoenix and Phillips together have crafted something extraordinarily special. An exhilarating character study on the parameters of loneliness with a chilling assessment of the choking and deliberating effects of a morbid society. It is a pressure cooker of emotional abuse that is just ticking along, ready to blow at every minute, and when it does finally hit the mark of no return, it does so in a dark, gritty and f*cking batshit crazy manner.

Phoenix is Simply Exceptional

Phoenix as the titular character is fantastic, but surprisingly it is not the clown alter ego that he demonstrates his exceptional skill as an actor with, but it is, in fact, the approach of character Arthur Fleck that is simply exceptional. The construction by Phoenix on every level is an exhilarating example of an actor transcending in their craft. Phoenix is not interested in reusing the legendary mythos that has been the foundation of this character since Heath Ledger’s approach to the role in 2008, and much like Ledger makes the role his own with a distinctive palette that builds from the bottom up with a human element first and foremost.

Interestingly, what Phillips does to cater solely for Phoenix and the film to develop the character of Arthur Fleck, is alter and remove a significant amount of screen time for the supporting cast. Much of the supporting cast such as Marc Maron, Shea Whigham, Brian Tyree Henry, and even Robert De Niro to a certain extent, are dealt the hand of bloated cameos.

De Niro and Zazie Beetz are two of the characters who are more or less integral to the plot but have contextually limited screen time regarding their arcs. It all bizarrely seems to fit together in this obtuse jigsaw, and this viewer, left with the captivating performance of Phoenix, does not really care otherwise. That being said, the film does ultimately fail to use both Beetz and De Niro’s characters to a fulfilling and intriguing end.

Freedom to Maneuver

The viewer from the offset has a fundamental and robust engagement with the central character. Particularly with how much time and freedom has been given to flesh out the thematic vocabulary of the character. The intricacies and nuances of small details such as the character’s walk, wardrobe, and his split from reality are mirrored with his more dependable cigarette usage. These incredibly small and minute details grow and add to a more significant, and clearly a more layered character; it’s clear the writers and Phoenix care to bring him to life with his own distinctive personality and set of traits.

There is a staggering amount of freedom found here. Not only for Phoenix to craft what he sees fit for an organic portrayal but for Phillips to create something distinctively brutish and daring. Phillips hits a home run with the R-Rating. It is explosive, nightmarish and gritty, even if the digitally crafted gore is far too uncanny to be taken seriously at times.

It is not grotesque for the sake of infamy; however, it always serves a purpose to showcase the extreme nature of the circumstance or to add depth to the characters intertwined with the violence. A gentle restraint from Phillips, who in numerous entries in his filmography has always had the urge to fill his features with excessive nudity.

Ultimately Closes on a Whimper

From the 1980s aesthetic to the make-up design of the titular character, everything works wonders. Everything falls into place with perfect ease, so where does the film eventually go wrong? Well, that would in the final act. Phillips sadly stumbles with the final hurdle of bringing this feature together.

Excessive sub-plots that are overly conscious of spinning webs instead of telling a solid tale start to take hold. However, arguably the most frustrating aspect is how the climactic curtain falls. To say it’s somewhat underwhelming is an understatement; ultimately the film closes on a whimper.

Joker: Conclusion

Joker is sure to be the stepping stone for a far richer and intoxicating experience within the saturated genre of the comic book film. Todd Phillips’ feature has been argued to be a lot like Taxi Driver, but is truly a lot more similar to Mean Streets. However, there is so much more here than the occasional Scorsese reference and it all looks to be serving a masterclass in all elements of production, but Phillips stumbles in the last hurdle with the film not knowing if it wants to stand alone or be seduced by the lore that surrounds this world and character.

What are your thoughts on this new branch of DC comic book films? Will Joaquin Phoenix be the one to be on par with the late great Heath Ledger? Let us know in the comments below!

Joker will be released worldwide on October 4, 2019.