Andy Binns

A dark, unsettling, but also very moving viewing experience with the central character beautifully portrayed by Phoenix. The movie makes a statement on the evolution of the garishly malevolent scheming master criminal from the comic books. In doing this the Director paints a bleak and depressing picture of an impoverished, solitary and sad existence to explain Joker’s mental disintegration. It’s a very believable story on how the Joker came to be and the movie also manages to grip attention without the reliance on lots of heavy action scenes. That is down to Phoenix’s performance, and he really does nail it in my view. The movie seems to sign off without any whiff of hope or optimism. However, if there is a sequel planned which shows the further evolution of the Joker’s character into a malevolent criminal, then it could be set up nicely for a confrontation with The Dark knight at some point. This is a film that may not make you feel good when you leave the cinema but it will absorb and immerse you while you are watching.