In the 80s, I wouldn't have believed it if someone said that the Joker, the supervillain and archenemy of superhero Batman would be honoured as the central figure in a movie; but, then that is exactly what happened in the latest Hollywood's psychological thriller directed by Todd Phillips; appropriately titled Joker. Joaquin Phoenix plays the Joker who originally was Arthur Fleck, a downtrodden party clown with a disorder which causes him to laugh uncontrollably at inappropriate times. From the beginning of the movie Gotham City was painted as a dark city; rife with crime, littered with rubbish and infested with uncaring people and big rats which Robert De Niro's character, Murray Franklin says could only to be caught by supercats. One would expect the Joker to become what he is because of all these negativities; but then, there is a sinister reason that would be revealed only after Arthur Fleck steals his mother Penny's case file from the hospital. Phoenix reportedly lost 24 kg to prepare for the role but the writers apparently added enough meat to make his character believable which probably was the reason too for the movie to win the Golden Lion when it premiered at the 76th Venice International Film Festival in August. As the movie is set in the home city of Batman, expect to see Batman too; just that he isn't quite the cape crusader yet.
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