SCREEN SHOT - Joker - the brief film review.

You don't need to have seen any of Batman's incarnations on paper or on screen to understand this movie. Whilst knowing about Gotham City and its pantheon of criminal characters adds another dimension. This film shows you quite plainly and frighteningly one man completely losing his mind, and the consequences of that. Joker is an origins movie, and similar to the film Logan, it takes you by surprise where it goes. This is no comic book caper at all.

Arthur Fleck, comes from a broken home, abused by his step dad, neglected by his mother. Now the Gotham City's mental health department has abandoned him too. Newly off his meds, Arthur flips and kills three guys on the underground. This is just the beginning, Arthur loses his job as a clown for hire, living increasingly in his own perverted fantasy world. His clown face killings provide him with a vicarious sense of fame. His future appearance on a chat show, destined to ignite the whole city into riot. 

Both Director and lead actor wanted the violence in this movie to feel real. To not have its edges softened by it becoming balletic, cartoon like or obviously CGI'd. This realism contributes to the Joker being one if the darkest, most disturbing films I've seen. Without Joaquin Phoenix's central performance this film this would not be so. He is toe curlingly mesmeric to watch. The unhinged meaninglessness of his violence, and how, I must say, this film glorifies it, really turns your stomach over. Utterly compelling, whilst also sickeningly unpleasant and revolting. 

CARROT REVIEW - 6/8