The world is already crazy, violence is the last effective language | "Joker" film review

Author | Cement

This article contains key plot spoilers, please read with caution

"Is it just me, or is the world really getting more and more crazy?" This is the first line Arthur Fleck said after the title "JOKER" came out. At this time, he is doing psychological counseling at the community psychological counseling center and social workers in Gotham City. In Gotham outside, after more than ten days of garbage cleaners' strike, the streets are full of garbage that no one has cleaned up. The mayor has announced that Gotham City into a state of emergency.

Warner and DC announced that they will produce an origin movie of the Joker, which will be rated as an R-rated film and will be independent of the existing DC universe. Since then, "Joker" has attracted much attention. And when "Joker" entered the main competition unit of this year's Venice Film Festival, Douban scored as high as 9.7 (out of 10 points), and finally won the Golden Lion Award, the reputation and controversy about this film have never stopped. In view of the "special national conditions" of film screenings in mainland China, it can be said that it is almost impossible for this film to be screened in mainland theaters, and the huge demand for movie viewing has not been released so far. Like many mainland viewers, the author made a detour to Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan to watch "Joker". The irony is that among the mainland audience who can enjoy the dividends of "overseas" movie viewing, quite a few people oppose the release of "Joker" in the mainland, because the film is extremely "provocative".

It's just a movie, is it really that capable?

Some violence is more outrageous than others

"Joker" is indeed controversial because it is violent. Arthur Fleck shot and killed three white-collar workers in the financial industry in the subway, then fled the scene in a panic, hid in the public toilet, and even danced slowly; when his former colleagues condolenced Arthur after his mother died, he even used a pair of scissors Pierced the other party's throat, eyes, and killed him brutally; Arthur was invited to his dream Murray Franklin Show, but he shot and killed the host Murray Franklin on the live talk show live; not to mention the end of the film, kind and decent The Wayne and his wife were shot dead by a strange man wearing a clown mask in a back alley. The future Batman Bruce Wayne would have to witness such a bloody scene at a young age.

But such a cruel massacre, "Joker" actually "beautifies" it, and the lower-level citizens of Gotham City also regard Joker as a hero. After the audience accepts such hints, they may follow suit.

This is by no means alarmist. John Hinckley, who assassinated President Reagan in 1981, claimed that he was directly influenced by "Taxi Driver." In the 2012 Aurora shooting that killed 12 people and injured 58, the murderer James Egan Holmes chose to act on the premiere day of the "Batman: The Dark Knight Rises" movie. Some police officers even said that Holmes had called himself "The Joker".

In the face of various cases, this concern seems reasonable.

Let's go back to the opening scene of "Joker". Arthur, dressed as a party clown, is in front of the electronics store to promote the store's clearance sale, but his billboard is stolen by a group of young men who lure him into an alley and beat him up. Afterwards, he was called by the boss to have a private conversation. The boss said that the electrical shop complained that he disappeared suddenly and did not return the billboard. Arthur said that the billboard was taken away, and he was beaten, not "disappearing suddenly". The boss said that he could not accept it, he did not believe that someone would rob his billboard, and demanded that Arthur must return it. Arthur asked himself why he stole the billboard, and the boss said that he didn't care, he had to return it anyway, otherwise the loss of the billboard would be deducted from his salary.

Some violence is more outrageous than others. Of course Arthur didn't return the billboard, it was a loss to the electrical shop, it was wrong. So Arthur was beaten up by someone else? It didn't happen because it wasn't seen and couldn't be understood. The damage has already been done, and someone has to pay the bill, but this person will not be me, whoever is the best bully will pay the bill. Arthur shot and killed the three white-collar workers was violence, but the white-collar workers beat him up was not violence; Arthur killed a colleague with scissors was violence, the colleague offered him a revolver, and later lied that the gun was Arthur asked him for what he wanted, and it caused Arthur to be fired, so it was not violence; Arthur shot and killed the talk show host Murray. Murray first played the talk show segment of Arthur's uncontrollable laughter on the show to laugh at him, and then specially invited Arthur. Coming to the show, laughing at him again in order to create a show effect is not violence; it is violence when a strange man wearing a clown mask shoots Wayne and his wife, but it is not violence if the whole system drives the bottom people to nowhere.

As Arthur said on the talk show, "You decide what is right and wrong, and what is funny and what is not." Before Arthur took the stage, he was told not to use dirty words and dirty jokes. In fact, the jokes Murray told the guests had strong sexual implications. The criteria for judging violence are monopolized, and the right to speak is even more monopolized, and the vast majority of people do not even see that this monopoly itself is violence, and it is the cruelest kind of violence.

Taking "violence" as the key word to re-examine "Joker", it is not difficult to find that Arthur's strange disease of laughing uncontrollably from time to time, the effect it achieves is really wonderful. Joaquin Phoenix's performance is impeccable, interpreting the helpless laughter again and again in a weird and depressing way, and every time he laughs, he points to a specific absurdity. The society disciplines us to "Don't forget to smile", and we cannot have negative energy. But actually life is so miserable, we don't want to laugh at all. Fine, then you are the same as Arthur. After suffering from domestic violence, you must suffer from such a mental illness that can only laugh but not cry. After you're done, people will hate your funny smile because you're always laughing at "not funny things". It's really absurd, it's violent, it's desperate.

clown who is not a clown

Another controversy facing "Joker" is that it has brought "Joker" down from the altar. It can even be said that this is not a movie about "Joker" at all.

Even if you haven't read the original DC comics, you only need to look at Nolan's version of "Batman: The Dark Knight", and you can feel the clown's elusiveness, anarchism and cruel sense of humor in Heath Ledger. And, as the Joker himself says, he and Batman are just two sides of the same coin, they're actually the same kind of people. It is precisely because of this that this character has been ranked first among comic villains all year round, and is known as the greatest comic villain in history. And "Batman: The Dark Knight", currently ranked 4th on IMDb Top250, and 26th on Douban Top250, is deeply loved and recognized by audiences around the world, and Heath Ledger's version of the clown has contributed a lot to this.

In "Joker", the clown is no longer an untraceable, mysterious villain. Writers Todd Phillips and Scott Silver give the character a clear origin that's understandable, sympathetic, and tear-inducing. Even at the last moment of the film, the Joaquin Phoenix version of the clown is still not the villain king in the original DC, but the spiritual leader of the "thugs" on the street, a position that a "clown" should never be in. More importantly, "Batman" has not yet appeared at this time. Without one side of the coin, the "Joker" that exists as the other side is also untenable.

For this voice, the author agrees. However, it is precisely the clown who is not a "clown" that makes "Joker" more able to answer this era. The crime of an era has an era. As the myth of urban crime, the clown appeared on the big screen in 2019. It is impossible to break away from this era and stand in the "Gotham City" that is completely off the ground.

In addition, audiences who are familiar with classic movies are not difficult to find that "Joker" has drawn a lot of inspiration from "The King of Comedy", "Taxi Driver" and "Modern Times", and there are quite a few tribute passages. Imagining yourself on a talk show, aspiring to be a comedian, and finally meeting your favorite talk show host, appearing on each other's shows, obviously borrowed from The King of Comedy; Simulating gun use at home, self-talking lines, becoming a "hero" through acts of violence, from "Taxi Driver"; the background of the recession, getting fired for funny reasons, "Smile" background music The use of the film, as well as Chaplin's appearance on the theater screen, all express the film's tribute to "Modern Times". Not to mention that Robert De Niro played the role of talk show host Murray Franklin, and Murray was eventually shot by Arthur himself. This may be the best tribute to the crime king Robert De Niro in "Taxi Driver" and "King of Comedy" .

Gotham in the movie, Hong Kong outside the movie

After watching "Joker", many viewers said that this movie is quite suitable for the occasion. The author believes that this film fits the scene because some plots and scenes can directly remind people of Hong Kong's current situation.

The most obvious one is naturally the "Prohibition on Face Covering Regulations". Carrie Lam and the Executive Council enacted the "Prohibition of Face Covering Regulations" (hereinafter referred to as "Anti-Mask Law") in accordance with the "Emergency Regulations Regulations" (hereinafter referred to as "Emergency Law") on October 4, and in October It was officially implemented in the early morning of the 5th.

Long before the anti-mask law was promulgated, helmets, gas masks, face shields and other equipment had become standard equipment for Hong Kong demonstrators. A large number of Hong Kong demonstrators also agree with another DC dystopian movie "V for Vendetta". Many people wear "V" masks, and "V" spray paint is often seen on the streets. After the anti-mask law was promulgated, "masks" and "masks" have further become the totems of Hong Kong demonstrators. In "Joker", demonstrators in Gotham also gradually put on clown masks, because they think that the person who disguised himself as a clown and killed three Wall Street elites in the subway is a hero. He conveyed his heartfelt voice to this society—— "Kill the Rich". In the end, the streets of Gotham City are full of clowns. These scenes are deeply intertwined inside and outside the play.

What is even more ironic is that the two policemen who chased Arthur in the movie were beaten by demonstrators in the subway. In order to avoid the pursuit of two plainclothes policemen, Arthur hid in the subway car, and the car was full of demonstrators who were preparing to go to the city government to demonstrate, most of whom wore clown masks or made up as clowns. Arthur was about to escape in the chaos, and a policeman drew his gun and asked the demonstrators to disperse, which caused a larger commotion. The policeman accidentally killed a demonstrator in the car. This move aroused great anger from other demonstrators. After the subway stopped, two policemen were pushed out of the car and attacked by demonstrators. 831 riot police indiscriminately attacked citizens in MTR Prince Edward Station trains, and 1001, the first time a demonstrator was shot by live ammunition on the street. Do you guys who watched "Joker" also remember these scenes?

Molotov cocktails, attacks on shops, and chaotic streets are all familiar to everyone, but the worst thing is the extreme distrust of the system by the people at the bottom. Moderate reformers such as Thomas Wayne hope that citizens can trust him and let him improve everyone's current situation, eliminate poverty, and create jobs. The problem is that most citizens no longer trust the vested interests in the system, because the vested interests are used to protecting each other, exchanging interests, and exploiting and oppressing the people at the bottom. Just like the three Wall Street white-collar workers who were shot and killed by Arthur in the subway, they sexually harassed women in the subway, and beat him because of Arthur's weird smile. After they died, they became good and upright citizens in the mouth of Thomas Wayne. How can people who have been completely disappointed in seeking justice within the system still believe that Thomas Wayne will really help them? Arthur would have suppressed his leg shaking caused by too much anxiety, but after hearing Thomas Wayne's remarks on TV, he no longer endured it and allowed his thighs to shake violently. Just like the sign at the demonstration site read "Thomas = Fascist", people didn't trust him and even killed him in the end.

Also worth mentioning is the development of the demonstrations in Gotham City. Although every escalation of demonstrations has something to do with Arthur, Arthur has never had a clear political appeal, let alone lead the demonstrators. The whole demonstration was closer to the state of "no big platform". Even at the end, the demonstrators cheered for Arthur, but they definitely did not intend to accept his command. "Joker" was more of a symbol, and everyone Clowns, "We are all clowns". This is also quite similar to the demonstrations in Hong Kong.

But the director and screenwriter did not intend to allude to Hong Kong. "Joker" was completed in December 2018, and its world premiere was completed at the Venice Film Festival at the end of August 2019. Who would have guessed the development of the situation in Hong Kong at that time? The director and the screenwriter were originally alluding to the streets of Europe and America, but they did not expect to hit the right track, like an absurd prophecy of the end of the world, step by step to Hong Kong, with a cruel sense of humor just like the clown himself. The Hong Kong police made "Joker" a reality. From this perspective, "Joker" is indeed very "provocative", and it can also make the audience in the mainland "think about it".

A brutal pleasure ends in a cruel end

Any dark fairy tale will never have a happy ending. As it is in "Joker", so it is in the real streets. Thomas Wayne couldn't possibly understand Arthur's pain at the beginning of the film forcing himself to smile with his fingers. And when Arthur did the same thing to make Bruce Wayne smile, to give the rich young man a taste of it, a terrible balance was emerging. Legitimate institutional violence is endless, and all legal means of resistance within the system have been declared bankrupt. That "cruel joy will eventually end in brutality."

That's exactly what Burning Gotham predicted at the end of "Joker." Amidst the cheers and crowds of the crowd, Arthur Fleck vomited blood and stood up again on the smashed police car. At this moment, the cowardly, repressed, and painful Arthur was dead, dead forever, replaced by Joker, a myth that detonated a full-scale riot in a city, and was like a spiritual totem to the demonstrators. After a slow dance, Joker painted himself a big smile with blood from his mouth. This is the ultimatum of "Joker" to us: if this world is really just a joke, sooner or later someone will retaliate, bury us with blood, and paint us with a bloody smile.

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