As has been wryly noted, in 1989’s Batman by Tim Burton, starring Michael Keaton and Jack Nicholson the villainous Joker was created by throwing a low-level gangster into a vat of acid… in Christopher Nolan’s Christian Bale / Heath Ledger The Dark Knight confrontation of 2008 we had control vs. anarchy powerplays and now in 2019, the ingredients have been replaced by a mentally-disturbed man (Joaquin Phoenix as ‘Arthur Fleck’) thrown into public ridicule and the revenge he takes on society for the singular Joker.
Whether that says more about the power of Batman’s arch-nemesis or simply the pressures of the modern world is debatable, but – either way – it’s hard to argue from the film’s final trailer that director Todd Phillips and mercurial star Joaquin Phoenix appears to have done anything less than create an unique interpretation of the source material – one that’s at least as compelling as Nicholson and Ledger’s deliveries and far more interesting than Jared Leto’s punk.
“Madness is like gravity…all it takes is a little push…” proclaimed Heath Ledger’s incarnation. Phillips and Phoenix have certainly given it a shove. The result may not suit all tastes, but it’s already getting festival interest and sparking talk of Oscar nominations…
Joker debuts 4th October…
