Australians might feel proprietary about the Joker character. Heath Ledger, tears of a clown, and all that. Big floppy shoes to fill, but Joaquin Phoenix owns them now, sorry. His Method-inspired performance gets under the greasepaint to give us the interior life of Arthur Fleck, an unlovable loser provoked to violence by an uncaring society. Director Todd Phillips – who won the Venice Film Festival’s highest award for this – is working hard, too, as Joker channels The Killing Joke graphic novel and Scorsese’s The King of Comedy and neon-lit nightmare Taxi Driver.
Director: Todd Phillips
Stars: Joaquin Phoenix, Robert De Niro, Zazie Beetz
Rating: MA15+
Genre: Crime | Drama | Thriller
Please note: under-18s will not be admitted without a parent or guardian.