The Joker remains Batman’s most famous foe and one of the most famous villains in fiction. For the first time ever, we get to see a big screen version of the character without the focus being on Batman. This is a standalone film that may have its roots in comic books but is really more like “Taxi Driver” and “The King Of Comedy”.

Set in Gotham City during the 1980s, the mentally disturbed Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix “Gladiator”, “Signs”) is feeling crushed by society. As the city continues to go through a troublesome period, Arthur descends into unadulterated madness and violence with his actions having an impact on a larger scale than he could have ever imagined.

Joaquin Phoenix is absolutely superb as Arthur Fleck/Joker. I maybe prefer Jack Nicholson in the 1989 “Batman” and Mark Hamill in “Batman: The Animated Series” but for a standalone film, this is just fantastic. Fleck has more in common with Travis Bickle than any comic book movie villain. He’s a sad and desperate loser with no idea about how to interact with other people. Robert De Niro (“Goodfellas”) interestingly gets to play a tv presenter that is basically a reversal of the role he played in “The King Of Comedy”. The other characters are entertaining but Phoenix completely dominates this movie.

“Joker” is a violent and disturbing movie that feels like a mix of “Taxi Driver”, “King Of Comedy”, “The Dark Knight”, “The Crow” and “Death Wish”. Many feared that this film could inspire violence but I don’t think it is any more likely to than any of the other movies I have just mentioned. The soundtrack is brilliant throughout. Also, I loved the scene showing a Charlie Chaplin picture and the “Zorro: The Gay Blade” reference was hilarious. This is a movie that might not perfectly capture the Joker for me but what it does offer is a unique and uncut vision.