Review by Dennis D. McDonald

I was extremely impressed by the first Joker movie, but the negative reviews for Joker: Folie à Deux initially put me off.

What a mistake! Joker 2 is a tour de force of brilliant performances, unsettling characterizations, bizarre musical interludes, and crisply dark yet vibrant editing and cinematography.

The film continues the exploration of the Joker's dual personality and portrays his entanglement with Lady Gaga's Harley Quinn—a demented pairing as twisted and fascinating as one could hope for in a well-produced Hollywood blockbuster.

What remains unsettling about the Joker is the support and adulation he receives from the public, as contrasted with the harsh treatment he endures at the hands of Gotham’s prison facilities and staff.

Brendan Gleeson, as the prison guard closest to the Joker, straddles the line between stereotype and archetype. He portrays someone simultaneously repelled by and attracted to the Joker’s weirdness. As the "old prison guard who has seen it all," Gleeson masterfully portrays flashes of horrified realization that the Joker is anything but ordinary.

Phoenix’s portrayal of Joker is chilling and is comparable in its unsettling nature to Anthony Scott as Ripley.

Outside the courtroom, the Joker’s growing fanbase is chilling. The adoring crowds evoke parallels to the US public’s willingness to embrace political leaders who preach hate and contempt for the law. The film’s resulting chaos feels like a natural outcome of a world where compromise between opposing ideologies seems impossible.

Joker 2 brilliantly depicts a society where true harmony, repeatedly attacked by voracious media and spineless leadership, remains elusive.

Review copyright © 2024 by Dennis D. McDonald