Joker review – Joaquin Phoenix rises to new heights

Joaquin Phoenix has always been a commanding actor, but his full power and range has never been more fully utilised than in Joker.

He chews through every scene he is in, delivering a performance with so much energy and commitment that it rattles the rafters.

Joker is another stand-alone, origins story, this time from the DC Empire, and while we got a glimpse of him in The Dark Knight, played then by the late Heath Ledger, we get a far fuller perspective of him now.

Joaquin Phoenix in ‘Joker’. Picture: Warner Bros.

Todd Phillips’ production is a dark, unsettling journey into madness and a terrifying look at life seen through the eyes of a seriously deranged individual.

The graphic scenes are not for the squeamish, because I found the production, though stylish and well crafted, in total overkill mode.

Phoenix portrays Arthur Fleck, a pitiful, guilt-ridden individual struggling to find his way in Gotham City’s fractured society. A clown-for-hire by day, he aspires to be a stand-up comic at night, but discovers that the joke always seems to be on him.

Caught in a cyclical existence between apathy and cruelty, Arthur makes one bad decision which triggers a chain reaction bringing about an explosive series of escalating events.

Joaquin Phoenix in ‘Joker’. Picture: Warner Bros.

Laughing maniacally as his life spirals out of control, Arthur who transforms himself into Joker, with a frightening painted face, sets about righting the wrongs inflicted on his life.

He traces his existence back to the beginning, finds out the truth about his fragile, invalid mother (Frances Conroy) and is given a gun by a clown colleague to protect himself after being beaten up several times, a move that heralds the start of his violent rampage.

Arthur searches for a father figure, from wealthy businessperson Thomas Wayne (Brett Cullen) to TV host Murray Franklin (Robert De Niro), but is sadly disappointed.

Joaquin Phoenix in ‘Joker’. Picture: Warner Bros.

We observe him dancing on a stairway to Gary Glitter’s Rock and Roll Part 2, and twisting his face and body into contortions that defy physics.

He is a phenomenon whose performance will not be easily forgotten. Some are even talking Oscar for this riveting portrayal.

Info

Rating: ★★★☆☆
Cast: Joaquin Phoenix, Frances Conroy, Robert De Niro, Bill Camp, Brett Cullen
Director: Todd Phillips
Classification: 16 DLV

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