Coming into the crowded superhero marketplace, Joker is most certainly not what you might expect from a movie ostensibly set within the DC universe. But that's a refreshing difference, as director Todd Phillips and star Joaquin Phoenix reach for something that comfortably sits alongside dramas at the Venice and Toronto Film Festivals than the likes of Aquaman.
This is the story Arthur Fleck (Phoenix), a man firmly under the boot heel of society. He scrabbles together cash working as a clown, all the while checking in with his social worker and caring for his aging mother Penny (Frances Conroy). Arthur has dreams of being a stand-up comedian, inspired by his favourite late-night talk show entertainer, Murray Franklin (Robert De Niro). As Gotham City falls into crime, dirt and desperation around him, Arthur will start to follow a different path, and it'll impact every part of his life.
With Zazie Beetz, Bill Camp, Brett Cullen and Shea Whigham also in the cast, Joker is released – or perhaps will escape – on 4 October.