Why watch?

Joaquin Phoenix's Arthur Fleck is the whole movie — every scene, from his awkward dance in a bathroom stall to him talking to himself in the mirror, feels like watching something real and deeply unsettling. Todd Phillips made this not as an origin story for a supervillain, but as a slow-motion collapse of a man nobody listens to and nobody sees. Robert De Niro shows up as a late-night talk-show host, and his final conversation with Phoenix is one of the most tense scenes cinema has delivered in years. It's dark and deliberately slow, 122 minutes where you can't look away.

Who is it for?

For someone who wants something dark and introspective — best watched alone in the evening when you can actually sit with it. If you liked Taxi Driver or The King of Comedy, this has that same vibe: a guy spiraling, disconnected, watching the world like he's not part of it. Fair warning though — lots of violence, depressing throughout, self-harm scenes, and a main character who's falling apart. Not for kids.

Similar titles

If you were gripped by watching someone unravel and become something darker than himself, try Taxi Driver — Robert De Niro spent those hours alone in his cab until something snaps. King of Comedy is also De Niro, but desperate for approval instead, spiraling into deeper delusion. And if you want a film that just watches a man break apart without offering any exit, The Master by Paul Thomas Anderson does that for two hours — methodical, brutal, no redemption offered.

  • Taxi DriverTaxi Driver (1976)
  • The King of ComedyThe King of Comedy (1982)
  • The MasterThe Master (2012)
  • NightcrawlerNightcrawler (2014)
  • A ProphetA Prophet (2009)
  • Under the SkinUnder the Skin (2013)
  • Requiem for a DreamRequiem for a Dream (2000)
  • You Were Never Really HereYou Were Never Really Here (2017)
Plakat — Joker

Joker

2019 · 2h 2min8.118
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⚠ Availability may change. Data provided by JustWatch via TMDB.

Classic overview

During the 1980s, a failed stand-up comedian is driven insane and turns to a life of crime and chaos in Gotham City while becoming an infamous psychopathic crime figure.

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Arthur Fleck is a struggling comedian living with his mother in a crumbling Gotham, barely surviving on disability checks and odd jobs. Joaquin Phoenix gives a performance that's almost uncomfortable to watch — every twitch, every hollow laugh, every moment of shame reads like a documentary of someone coming apart. Todd Phillips built something much closer to Scorsese's Taxi Driver than a superhero movie, with scenes that feel like they're documenting a real person's collapse rather than telling a comic book story. If you connected with The King of Comedy or Nightcrawler, you know the territory.

Why watch?

Joaquin Phoenix's Arthur Fleck is the whole movie — every scene, from his awkward dance in a bathroom stall to him talking to himself in the mirror, feels like watching something r…

Who is it for?

For someone who wants something dark and introspective — best watched alone in the evening when you can actually sit with it. If you liked Taxi Driver or The King of Comedy, this h…

Similar titles

If you were gripped by watching someone unravel and become something darker than himself, try Taxi Driver — Robert De Niro spent those hours alone in his cab until something snaps.…

Cast

Creators

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