Joker (2019)
Joker is a 2019 crime movie directed by Todd Phillips, with a running time of 2h 2m. It stars Joaquin Phoenix, Robert De Niro and Zazie Beetz.
Arthur Fleck shuffles through a decaying Gotham City in a rented clown suit, forcing a laugh he does not feel and chasing a stand-up career that keeps humiliating him. Todd Phillips builds this alternate origin for the Joker as a grim 1980s character study rather than a comic-book spectacle, closer to the gritty urban dramas of Scorsese than to a superhero film. Joaquin Phoenix hollows himself out for the role, all jutting bones and unstable laughter, with Robert De Niro as a late-night host and Frances Conroy as Arthur's fragile mother. The mood is anxious, unsparing, and deeply lonely.
Quick answers
What is Joker about?
Arthur Fleck shuffles through a decaying Gotham City in a rented clown suit, forcing a laugh he does not feel and chasing a stand-up career that keeps humiliating him. Todd Phillips builds this alternate origin for the Joker as a grim 1980s character study rather than a comic-book spectacle, closer to the gritty urban dramas of Scorsese than to a superhero film. Joaquin Phoenix hollows himself out for the role, all jutting bones and unstable laughter, with Robert De Niro as a late-night host and Frances Conroy as Arthur's fragile mother. The mood is anxious, unsparing, and deeply lonely.
When was Joker released?
Joker was released on 1 October 2019.
How long is Joker?
Joker runs 2h 2m.
Who made Joker?
Joker was directed by Todd Phillips.
Where can I watch Joker?
Joker is available on Cinemax (Via Amazon Prime), HBO (Via Hulu), HBO Max, MAX (Via Amazon Prime), YouTube TV and Amazon.
Where to watch Joker
Stream: Cinemax (Via Amazon Prime), HBO (Via Hulu), HBO Max, MAX (Via Amazon Prime), YouTube TV
Rent: Amazon, AppleTV, Fandango at Home, Spectrum On Demand
Buy: Fandango at Home
Official site
Cast
- Joaquin Phoenix as Arthur Fleck
- Robert De Niro as Murray Franklin
- Zazie Beetz as Sophie Dumond
- Frances Conroy as Penny Fleck
- Brett Cullen as Thomas Wayne
- Shea Whigham as Detective Burke
- Bill Camp as Detective Garrity
- Glenn Fleshler as Randall
- Leigh Gill as Gary
- Josh Pais as Hoyt Vaughn
- Rocco Luna as GiGi Dumond
- Marc Maron as Gene Ufland
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A few thoughts on Joker
For more broken minds in rotting cities, Max Payne turns noir grief into a neo-noir shooter, and Disco Elysium hands you a detective barely holding himself together. Death Note follows a brilliant loner who decides he can rewrite morality. Bruce Springsteen's Nebraska plays the same bleak Americana chord, quiet portraits of desperate people at the edge of society.
Character studies of men coming apart
Joker hollows out one lonely man until he snaps, following Arthur Fleck's slow slide with unsettling patience. These share that focus on a single unraveling psyche, whether it is a Wall Street killer, a spiraling con artist, or a paranoid performer sure the world is against him. Each one lives inside a mind losing its grip.
Gritty urban crime and mob sagas
Joker owes its texture to the grimy crime dramas of the 1970s and 80s, all decaying cities and men pulled into violence. These pull from that same well, following gangsters, hitmen, and hustlers through the underbelly of American power. If the film's Scorsese-flavored dread is the draw, this cluster keeps the streets mean and the stakes bloody.
Psychological thrillers that crawl under your skin
Joker unsettles through mood and mounting dread rather than spectacle. These thrillers work the same way, trapping you with unstable minds and quiet menace until the tension is unbearable. If the film's anxious, unsparing atmosphere is what stayed with you, this cluster keeps the discomfort simmering across the screen, the page, and the controller.
Comic-book stories told with an adult, dangerous edge
Joker takes a comic-book villain and strips away the spectacle for something bleak and grown-up. These share that appetite for darkness, telling superhero and crime-comic stories aimed squarely at adults. If you liked how the film treats its source with menace instead of camp, this cluster of grim, stylish adaptations and games runs in the same lane.