Joker: A masterclass in darkness

Joaquin Phoenix delivers a compelling performance in Joker, writes John Maguire

Joker: Joaquin Phoenix’s performance is as captivating as it is grotesque

Reviewed This Week

Joker: Directed by Todd Phillips, Nationwide, 16, Rating: ****

Judy: Directed by Rupert Goold, Nationwide, 12A, Rating: ***

Joker is no laughing matter. The new origin story for Batman’s arch nemesis, directed by Todd Phillips and co-written with Scott Silver, details the terrible beginnings of the kind of man whose isolation and disaffection turns violent, whose untreated mental ill ness and poisoned sense of identity curdles into blind hate, the ...