The clown's core conflict is not about robots threatening to blow up the earth or giant CGI aliens from another world to collect some McGovern, but about social problems, that is, how rich and powerful people ignore their lower classes. The main villain of this film is the hero, who is a poor man economically and spiritually.
In many ways, Arthur Flack is the evil peter parker.
He lives in economic turmoil.
He lives with the only surviving female family member.
The love of his life lives next door to him.
Unlike peter parker, when Arthur finally got the right to do something, he used it in an extremely selfish way, just like dedicated bastards like Rupert Putin or michael scott used it. However, joaquin phoenix's excellent portrayal of Arthur is not a two-dimensional villain. Unlike other DC villains (such as the Wolf of the Prairie or the Witch), this guy has a certain humanity, because he really loves his mother and likes to entertain children and adults. Not to mention his unique problems.
One of the reasons why I like this particular version of the clown is his emotional disorder. Even at the most inappropriate moment, he can't help laughing. I have never seen any version of the character with such physical defects in my life. The fact that Phoenix's script is full of pain and suffering makes me very satisfied with this guy. His present situation is not his fault, but everyone comments on him for it.
Despite this compassion, in the end, when Arthur gradually became a clown, he crossed the line of no return and went too far. At that time, there will be no Arthur Flack, no ridiculous situation, no poor guy, and no sympathetic background. Only this person.
Oh, sorry.
I mean, this guy.
Although he was not created by a chemical bucket like the traditional character version, even though he didn't dress up as a clown, he still maintained the same level of monster and evil. The depravity, originally a symbol of the rich and the strong, has become a symbol of selfishness and chaos. This film proves why the clown is called the prince of the criminal clown.
Unfortunately, this film has shortcomings.
Although I think the film itself is excellent, it is far from the creative level of martin scorsese's Taxi Driver and king of comedy. Although I am incredibly grateful to Lawrence Sher for his photography skills, I am also incredibly grateful to Hildegu? Nadóttir), but the clown lacks the subtle differences between taxi drivers and king of comedy.
Almost everything and people about Arthur are so cartoon. Although I still have sad moments because of the basic human empathy, some performances have become very, very tacky. Not from joaquin phoenix (who has always been excellent), but from his partner. At a certain moment when Arthur murdered someone in cold blood, witnesses reacted very badly and openly to them. This guy is not even a bad actor, but this scene is really interesting because of his cold reaction to the murder.
Needless to say, some parts of the DC universe hurt movies.
Although I like most of the DC-related content in the movie, especially the scene where Arthur meets Bruce and Alfred, until the last moment, this cruel and arrogant scene stands out at the moment when it happens. I didn't destroy its essence, but this is definitely something that should not happen in the movie. Even if it is necessary, it should not be done.