I don’t watch a lot of movies, but Joker may be the most emotionally intense film I’ve ever seen. It chronicles the character of Arthur Fleck, his struggle with abuse and mental illness, and his descent into madness.

Joker is a film as much about mental illness as it is about the Joker’s beginnings. Although I don’t think American society is in as bad a place as how Gotham is portrayed in how they treat the mentally ill (and each other in general), maybe we’re not that far away.

I found myself empathizing with Fleck’s character for the first three-quarters of the film. When his pain galvanizes into rage, his character goes into a very dark and ugly place you can’t empathize with any longer – the point of no return. As the viewer, you know the tipping point is coming and you’re resigned to it, but it’s still shocking when it happens.

They said they won’t, but if DC does end up tying Joker in with future Batman films, the stylistic contrast between DC and Marvel becomes even more stark and glaring. It makes me think Scorsese’s criticisms of Marvel’s films has some merit. Joker makes Marvel’s offerings look like trivial kids movies by comparison, but I understand there’s a space for both. If every comic book movie was like Joker, going to see one would become an emotionally exhausting experience.

Joaquin Phoenix as Arthur Fleck.

That being said, Joker is obviously not a kid’s movie by any stretch. It will be disturbing for some adults even.

I found it telling that Robert De Niro is in the film since Joker, in some ways, seems to be almost a modernized version of Taxi Driver. It has touches of the original Death Wish as well. It’s like witnessing a two-hour car crash you can’t do anything about. You know the collision is coming and you have a pretty good idea how it’s going to end even before you start.

It’s not a film for casual viewing. You need to be in the right frame of mind going into it. Joker is dark, disturbing, riveting, and stirs the emotions, but is absolutely worth watching.

Also, if there’s a better actor or actress on the planet than Joaquin Phoenix, I haven’t heard of them. Whether it’s Gladiator, Walk The Line, or Joker, he kills it every time. His performances are riveting.