Joker is… well, we don’t have time to sit here and review it, but it is an incredibly powerful movie that shows us an origin story of the character that we’ve never experienced before. In some ways, it humanizes the crazed villain, and gives him reason and purpose.
As such, today we’ll be taking a look at five times this take on the Joker was sympathetic. We’ll also be taking a look at five other times the character took things way too far. Without any further ado, let’s get into it.
Sympathetic: The Opening Scene
Right from the start, we realize that this character has it rough. The opening scene starts with Arthur promoting a business with a sign dressed as a clown. A group of teenage boys grab the sign and start running. As Arthur chases after them, he is led into an alleyway, where he is beaten and mugged by the boys.
It leaves bruises all over his body, and his job is put in jeopardy for losing the sign.
Too Far: Sophie’s Tragic End
The fact that we were all sitting there trying to figure out what exactly it was that Sophie saw in this man that we didn’t should have clued us into the fact that the relationship we were being shown wasn’t actually happening. There’s a difference between imagining a girl as your girlfriend and breaking into her house and killing her. A noticeably large difference.
Making matters worse, he (probably) left her poor daughter orphaned. And all for what? Nothing.
Sympathetic: Murray’s Use Of Him
When Arthur is invited onto Murray’s late-night show, he’s acutely aware that it is not, in fact, because he’s a great comedian. It is instead done solely to humiliate him even more. While Murray is nice enough to Arthur and even introduces him as “Joker,” it’s not at all a kind thing to bring him on the show just to make fun of him.
At least Arthur is well enough to know that we don’t shoot people in the head when we’re upset with them.
Too Far: Murray’s Killing
Truth is, Arthur is not well enough to know that we don’t shoot people in the head when we’re upset with them. Especially on their own TV show, come on. The shooting of Murray is what pushes Gotham over the edge, and sends the final act of the film into a downward spiral.
Arthur had this killing planned from the start, which goes to show how far his mental state had declined at this point in the film, and just how much he embraced that.
Sympathetic: His Care For His Mom
Before the caring… you know… stops, Arthur is shown to be very protective of his mom, and cares for her the best he can. The two have a deep relationship, and even share a very small apartment together.
However, it isn’t long before this relationship (and just about every other one that Arthur has) starts to circle the drain, which leads to some horrible things happening.
Too Far: The Killing Of His Friend
Before Arthur’s big TV debut, Randall and Gary come over with a bottle of wine in an attempt to be there for Arthur after losing his job and to also get their story straight, as the police are starting to come around. It’s only natural that Arthur takes this chance to promptly murder Randall with a pair of scissors… as one does.
He does allow Gary to live, and even unlocks the door for him, as he can’t get it himself, which is literally one of the tensest moments in the entire film.
Sympathetic: When The State Turned On Him
At first, Arthur didn’t want to become the villain he was meant to be. In the beginning, he was attending his therapy sessions and taking his medication (all seven of them) just as he was supposed to. However, shortly after, the state cut funding for both of those very necessary parts of his life. When this happened, what choice did he have?
He couldn’t get his medication, and there was no one for him to talk to. The state failed him, and this is one of the main reasons that he declined so far into becoming the Joker that we all know now.
Too Far: His Mother’s Death
Another main part of Arthur’s decline is his mother. His early years left him with a brain injury under her care, which certainly didn’t help the situation. The whole Thomas Wayne situation probably wasn’t great for anyone, either. Sure, she’d done some wrong in her life, but she did love Arthur dearly. So it came as a surprise when he chose to smother his mother.
This probably isn’t the best time to make a joke but that was a fantastic rhyme. Anyway, she really did not deserve that fate in the slightest. At least she didn’t have to live to see her son turn into one of the most notorious supervillains of all time.
Sympathetic: His Ride On The Bus
Despite the sadness in Arthur’s heart, he really did want to make others happy, just as he did on the bus ride home in the early part of the film. He was simply trying to make a baby laugh before he was rudely shut down by the child’s mother.
Arthur says in the movie that he’d never had a positive thought in his life, and through it all he was trying to bring joy into the lives of others.
Too Far: His Embrace Of The Joker
By the end of the film, Arthur fully embodies the Joker. He does so with glee in one of the few times we ever see him truly happy in the film. At this point, he’s already committed a triple murder (and two single murders too, wow!), and is just thrilled with himself for doing so.
This was the point of no return for the Joker, where he accepted his descent into madness with open arms. Unfortunately for the city of Gotham, life would never be the same after this fateful night.
