Credit: Chris Hernandez
REV I EW JOKER KANE GEARY O’KEEFFE SHARES HIS THOUGHTS ON JOAQUIN PHOENIX’S NEW TAKE ON THE CLOWN PRINCE OF CRIME
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s I sit here writing this review, before a poster of the Joker himself that has been on my wall for years, I’m quickly reminded of just how long I’ve been a fan of one of fiction’s most complex and well-known villains. The character has existed for over 75 years, yet still remains hugely popular in the eyes of the public today, a testament to his ever-present cultural relevance and status as a twisted mirror image of the time in which said public lives. 2019’s Joker, directed by Todd Philips, attempts to use this version of the character and his tragic origin to shed light on just what kind of world could spawn such a disturbed individual, one that is destined to become Batman’s arch nemesis. After two hours of increasingly disturbing imagery and a career-defining performance from
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Joaquin Phoenix, it seems to suggest that very world might not be too far removed from our own. Those expecting some acid-spitting flowers and a Prince soundtrack akin to Joker’s appearances in previous visual media such as Tim Burton’s 1989 Bat-flick should really take heed before approaching the cinema this time. This is very much a character study film, and a dark one at that. The film chronicles the sometimes tragic, sometimes brutal descent of Arthur Fleck, a failing clown for hire, into madness. It’s a journey carried solely on the sickly shoulders of a wholly committed Phoenix. There’s not a scene in this film without his presence, and what a presence it is. As the only fully realised character in the film, we’re given plenty of time to simmer in Fleck’s trauma as the world around him slowly crumbles, spurring him to don the iconic green hair and crimson grin we’ve come to know. Phoenix’s use of Joker’s iconic laugh as something that causes him physical pain is one of many interesting nuances that allow his version of the villain to stand out amongst
