"Put on a happy face." For here comes Joker. This psychological thriller film directed by Todd Phillips, co-written by Scott Silver and Philips, and based on the DC character. The film centers around an origin of the iconic arch nemesis and is an original, standalone story not seen before on the big screen. Phillips' exploration of Arthur Fleck, a man disregarded by society, is not only a gritty character study, but also a broader cautionary tale.
Between 2014 and 2015, Joaquin Phoenix was interested in acting in a low-budget "character study" type of film about a comic book villain. Phoenix had previously declined to act in the Marvel Cinematic Universe because he would have been required to play the roles he was offered in multiple films. Similarly, Phillips had been offered to direct comic-based films a number of times, but declined because they did not interest him. The film was born from Philip's idea to create a different, more grounded comic book film. In August 2016, after the premiere of War Dogs (2016), Phillips pitched the idea to Warner Bros. He proposed that DC Films differentiate its slate from the competing Marvel Studios' by producing low-budget, standalone films. Thanks to the success of Wonder Woman (2017), DC Films decided to deemphasize the shared nature of its DC-based films. In August 2017, Warner Bros. and DC Films revealed plans for the film, with Phillips directing and co-writing with Scott Silver, and Martin Scorsese co-producing with Phillips. In September 2017, Warner Bros. was considering casting frequent Scorsese collaborator Leonardo DiCaprio as the Joker, but Phoenix was Phillips's first and only choice for the role. Phoenix said when he learned of the film, he became excited because it was the kind of film he was looking to make, describing it as unique and stating it did not feel like a typical "studio movie". However, it took Phoenix some time to commit to the role, as it intimidated him. Throughout 2017, Phillips and Silver wrote the script, and, due to concern over the content, it took some time to get approval from Warner Bros. Phillips said that while the script's themes may reflect modern society, the film was not intended to be political. The script draws inspiration from Taxi Driver (1976), Raging Bull (1980), The King of Comedy (1983), and The Man Who Laughs (1928). While the film's premise was inspired by Alan Moore and Brian Bolland's graphic novel Batman: The Killing Joke (1988), which depicts the Joker as a failed stand-up comedian, Phillips said it does not "follow anything from the comic books... We're not even doing Joker, but the story of becoming Joker." Phillips later clarified that he and Silver "picked and chose what we liked" from the character's history. Phillips and Silver found the most common Joker origin story, in which the character is disfigured after falling into a vat of acid, too unrealistic. Instead, they used certain elements of the Joker lore to produce an original story, which Phillips wanted to feel as authentic as possible. Because the Joker does not have a definitive origin story in the comics, Phillips and Silver were given considerable creative freedom.
In January 2018, following the disappointing critical and financial performance of Justice League (2017), the film was given the green-light by Walter Hamada, the new head of DC-based film production at Warner Bros. The film was titled Joker, with a October 4, 2019, release date. In addition, the film was expected to begin filming in late 2018 with a budget of $55 million. Warner Bros. described the film as "an exploration of a man disregarded by society [that] is not only a gritty character study, but also a broader cautionary tale". In July, Phoenix was officially cast in the title role after four months of persuasion from Phillips. Scorsese's longtime associate Koskoff replaced him as producer due to his preoccupation with his film The Irishman (2019). It was also confirmed that the film was expected to be the first in a new series of DC films unrelated to the DCEU. By September, Robert De Niro, Zazie Beetz, Frances Conroy, and Brett Cullen rounded the film's cast. Around the same time, principal photography commenced, under the working title Romeo. Filming took place in New York City, Jersey City and Newark. During production, the script went through heavy revisions, which resulted in the cast learning their lines on the day. In addition, Phoenix occasionally walked off-set due to loss of self-control and needed to compose himself - to the confusion of other actors, except De Niro. For the iconic laugh, Phoenix based his laugh on "videos of people suffering from pathological laughter". In August, Hildur Guðnadóttir was hired to compose the film's score. Guðnadóttir began writing music after reading the script and meeting with Phillips. She worked on the Joker score alongside the score for the drama miniseries Chernobyl (2019); Guðnadóttir found switching between the two challenging because they were so different. Filming wrapped in mid December 2018. The film ultimately became the first live-action film in the Batman film franchise to receive an R-rating.
The cast gave, probably, the best performances of their careers. In particular, Phoenix gave a tour-de-force performance as the strangely sympathetic psychopath that stands alongside with Jack Nicholson and Heath Ledger's interpretations. Phoenix's performance is not only a loving tribute to his co-star De Niro's roles as Travis Bickel and Rupert Pumpkin, but also an Oscar-worthy one.
Joker is hell, from the gritty opening to its horrific climax. Phillips wanted to us to witness Arthur Fleck's downward spiral into madness; I almost wanted to look away from his life and its horrors. But he's there, all right, and he went insane! It is a must-see film for Batman fans, comic book aficionados, and movie lovers, it is as hard-hitting as it is compelling, with Phoenix at his best. Simply the best film of the year, one of the best comic-book film of all time, and, indeed, a masterpiece.
Simon says Joker receives:
Also, see my review for War Dogs.
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