Arthur took a lot of anti depressant medication, and didn't seem to accept being offered alcohol, like when Randall and Gary came to his apartment with what appeared to be a wine bottle so did Arthur have to avoid alcohol while taking his anti depressant medication? What was real was that after Arthur murdered his mother, he broke into Sophie's apartment, frightening her. When Arthur and Murray first meet each other, you can see that Murray is very respectful . Like he is on the spectrum and he cannot relate. He lets fellow clown Gary (Leigh Gill) escape his apartment after Arthur stabs Randall in the eye and bashes his brains in. Edit, Throughout the film, Arthur appears to have depression which is displayed many times throughout: movies.stackexchange.com/questions/104978/, New blog post from our CEO Prashanth: Community is the future of AI, Improving the copy in the close modal and post notices - 2023 edition. Also it's possible Arthur may have decided to not bother explaining why he had the gun because he felt (possibly correctly) that nobody would listen to him anyway. (E) Unless he or his lawyer could somehow locate that woman the men were harassing and get her to come testify on his behalf, he'd have no one to testify to his claims but himself; and again, he's known to be extremely unreliable. Edit, One of the mind-bending twists is that whole sections of the movie are manifestations of Arthur delusions - such as his entire relationship with his next-door neighbor Sophie. We're meant to believe the Joker is insane and unhinged enough . Randal is a clown-for-hire who works for Haha, the same entertainment business in which Arthur Fleck works for. That's exactly what Arthur alludes to right before he shoots him. These are the 10 worst things he does in his debut movie. Edit, You can see that Murray himself does little goofy dances all the time during his show and Arthur sorta seems to have taken that trait from him. Arthur seems like a chain smoker. He probably injured his foot or leg then. We don't actually see Thomas doing anything wrong (other than being understanbly hostile towards a Arthur after the stunt he pulled on Bruce) that may suggest he is so amoral and corrupt that he would go into such illegal extents, instead of doing what real rich people do when they want to hide old shames (hire a "fixer" lawyer to quietly reach an economic agreement). Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. Another possibility exists; the movie makes a point of establishing that the city's budget is practically nonexistent and funding for city services has been slashed to the bone. By accepting all cookies, you agree to our use of cookies to deliver and maintain our services and site, improve the quality of Reddit, personalize Reddit content and advertising, and measure the effectiveness of advertising. Edit, This Joker is a completely standalone non-canon take on the character. The pacing of the movie and the character development of Arthur is almost Birdman-like. Even if he throws Randall under the bus how is the boss supposed to believe him when he tries to dodge the fault altogether on instinct because he knew he'll lose the job if he tells the truth. Here's the "joke": Randall was murdered by the patsy he wanted to set up as a murderer. Forcing a mental patient to quit cold-turkey was probably viewed as unnecessarily stressful, particularly at a time when only the most strident anti-smoking crusader would have even cared. Unlike regular superhero movies, (Shazam, Suicide Squad or any other Marvel movie), there is no one transformative moment in Arthur's story that made him the Joker. It appears he is laughing about the death of Thomas Wayne, we see a flash of that scene again for a reason. Arthur killed the three bankers on impulse. Is it true that Leonardo DiCaprio auditioned to play Joker before the role was given to Phoenix instead? Arthur killed his mother in a pre-meditated way as he snuffed her out with a pillow in the hospital. Or perhaps it's pity on the woman's face. At the time, it would not have been unusual to allow Arthur to enter without frisking. In Joker (2019), why did Randall give the Joker the gun? Hes left crushed, however, when the butler labels his mother as crazy and insists she made the whole thing up due to issues with her own mental state. In Penny's medical file it says she had a lobotomy. Edit, No-one.Todd knew, that Joaquin is the perfect role for the Joker. But within this call for help is also the speaking of truth. There are so many theories about the ending of Joker that its tough to know where to start. Nevertheless, it works brilliantly as a metaphor for being born again. I kept saying "Please don't kill him. Also Arthur & his mother have Video Players & telephone answer machines - not common to 'lower working class families' in the 70s. Randall is shown to be so concerned for Arthur's well-being after he gets beaten that he gives him the firearm to defend himself. Whenever Arthur trudges up the stairs, which are plenty, it is a physical representation of his struggle in life as Arthur. (Laughing previously during his performance instead of doing comedy)The real life late night talk show host David Letterman was known for inviting quirky people onto his show and subtly mocking them, especially if they had low social awarenessHowever many fans prefer to believe that the invitation was real and that Murray's motives were not merely to make fun of Arthur. Did the drapes in old theatres actually say "ASBESTOS" on them? It only takes a minute to sign up. Couldn't he tell the cops he killed them in self-defense? Can someone explain what the red footprints were at the end along the corridor and then the running about at the end of the corridor? Arthur gets away with it, too, with it presumed that doctors believed she died as a result of her stroke rather than anything much more sinister. Share. as I try to mention in every answer. Edit, She was real, but only his first meeting with her in the elevator, the stalking and her final scene in her apartment (when she questions him about his name) happened. New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast. Also in those records are some newspaper clippings that reveal Arthur was three years old when the authorities learned that his mother's boyfriend abused them. Arthur was making up at the dresser when he heard someone at the door, and he instinctively took with him a pair of scissors. User Ratings What kind of condition did Arthur have that made him laugh uncontrollably? Is Thomas Wayne really Arthur's father, and due to his wealthy status forged adoption papers? The Joker sends death threats pinned to the chest of two corpses whose last names equal the threatened (Harvey Dent). Why does Thomas Wayne seem to not care about anyone but himself and his family? Cookie Notice With that knowledge, Murray would most likely think he wouldn't do anything to him, and even if he did, he probably assumed that everyone in the studio would gang up on Arthur.5.) The first is that his revolver only holds 6 rounds maximum. Edit, Three possibilities: The Event's Origin Explained, We Still Haven't Seen Dune's Weirdest Creature, From Yoda To Huyang: The 10 Oldest Star Wars Characters. It is currently unknown why she let this happen, but it's presumed she was abused by him as well, causing her mental problems. Or was this scene a fantasy, a retelling of what supposedly happened or a wish of what happened? Why didn't Arthur respond in shock to Sophie not knowing his name when he was in her apartment? Arthur's existence was barely registered by Sophie, his black single mother neighbour raising a daughter, and he ends up fantasising about her. Joker 2019 movie scene HDFILM DESCRIPTION:Forever alone in a crowd, failed comedian Arthur Fleck seeks connection as he walks the streets of Gotham City. Maybe his madness going further? Answer (1 of 3): No. At the very end, Arthur supposedly kills the black doctor off-screen in the hospital. Arthur was lying in bed touching himself when the personnel from the Murray Franklin show called him at home. 1) It's later, as the building appears to be Arkham. We now take a look at 10 times he was absolutely terrifying in the grittiest blockbuster of the year. Yikes. The point of this is to show the self-serving nature of the world around Arthur, and how willing people are to throw others under the bus.The point is that Randall wasn't as good of a friend as we thought he was. The Sophie twist puts into question just how much of the events depicted on screen are taking place inside of Arthur's head and how much are real. Edit, It could've gone both ways really. Essentially, audiences can watch the movie as director Todd Phillips' stab at making a movie about mental health. Edit, Yes, he smokes the American Spirit brand. Why is the film just called "Joker" and not "The Joker"? Did the Golden Gate Bridge 'flatten' under the weight of 300,000 people in 1987? Edit, Four possibilities:1) It's to show how escape has become hard for Arthur. While she cares about her son, she has shown to lie to him multiple occasions which leads to her downfall. A sigh of relief. Arthur's been told his mother is delusional and maybe he doesn't want to accept that and live with that? Did Arthur/Joker kill the mental hospital clerk who refused to give him the papers regarding his mother? Or did he really care for the Joker as he said? At the beginning of the film they're both shown to be good enough friends that they joke together. And that in that case, he made up the story that he's been adopted? Arthur figured out that Randall set him down this path into madness and wronged him which is why he murders him out of vengeance. Whenever Arthur is walking down the streets of Gotham, why does he seems to stagger a bit on one of his legs? Edit, Script-wise it was an easy way to make Thomas Wayne unlikable. Contact us Edit, Yes, within the scope of this movie these things are absolutely possible. He is one of the lead factors to the Joker going insane. A contextual clue that maybe he didn't is later, Fleck didn't murder Gary (Leigh Gill) because the little person was the only clown at his workplace who was nice to him. Also, Murray seems to understand that Arthur isn't actually insane, It's clear that Arthur is trying to justify his crimes, and as far as Murray can tell, Arthur is pretending to be the subway murderer to gain attention. The FAQ items below may give away important plot points. This would presumably also include the hospitals. Edit, It's a direct homage to the film Taxi Driver. "I could tell you a joke, but you wouldn't get it. Metaphorically Gotham is presented to us as a cold place, in which whatever the character does he's punished for. When Joker wakes up with a cough of blood, there's a dreamlike quality to the scene as he stands up and receives a hero's welcome for his brutal actions. This movie took place a long time ago and people were not as knowledgeable on conditions like Arthur's Others have been quick to point out that he'd have been unable to get out once he climbed inside, so it's certainly plausible. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Randall was so brilliantly evil that Rolling Stone ranked him 31st in the "40 Greatest TV Villains of All Time" list. All rights reserved. He also brought a gun in a children hospital and lied by saying it was a prop when asked why he has a gun on him. | He wants to shut himself away from the world completely, and the fridge provides a quick and easy way to do just that, but only temporarily.2.) //]]> [CDATA[ Edit, He was just doing his job. The ending is a scene before the actual movie. We leave hints using imagery or way we covered scenes similarly between scene. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. It just seemed strange that he would not only completely turn on Arthur after the hospital fiasco (rather than coordinate with him to create a bullshit story) and then flat-out go to his apartment weeks later to try and intimidate him into silence. His attempt to shoot the Mayor is foiled by Gordon. What kind of mental illnesses does Arthur have? Beginning when Sophie knocks on Arthur's door and is flattered when he confessed he was following her to her place of employment. He didn't know that Arthur brought a gun with him, and there were several other people in the studio. When Arthur murders his mother in the hospital, the heart monitor that she is connected to does not alarm as her heart rate skyrockets, then starts to fail. As for Beetz's character, Sher says it was the film's intention not to have the character die by Arthur's hands. Instead of going into the cinema wanting to catch a movie about a comic book villain, audiences can watch it as a movie about a man broken by his mental illness. . If Arthur was a killer and incredibly dangerous, would he just be sitting opposite his counselor, even if in handcuffs. Then he claimed Arthur wanted to buy it. He always got in trouble even when he didn't do anything wrong like when he got fired or when his boss thought he stole the sign so he started doing things intentionally to get in trouble and escalate events since either way he was always punished. Edit, It was a Pre-Model 36 version of the Smith & Wesson Chief's .38 Special, it was mistakenly misidentified as a Colt Detective Special. Did he give the gun thinking that when Joker will be performing he will drop it - as it happened? His death or being dead would make more sense to him than his own life of living, OR The exploration of Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix), a man disregarded by. By clicking Accept all cookies, you agree Stack Exchange can store cookies on your device and disclose information in accordance with our Cookie Policy. Where does Arthur get the bullets for his revolver? The movie does not directly tie into Ledger's portrayal in "The Dark Knight" as it takes place in the 80s. Did Randall actually plan to set up Arthur to get him fired? Brett Cullen and Joaquin Phoenix have an age difference of about 20 years, so this could realistically be true.However, it would imply a large deviation from the comics by making Arthur Bruce's brother. In order to verify both Thomas Wayne and Alfred Pennyworths version of his backstory, Arthur travels to Arkham State Hospital and steals some paperwork that reveal he was actually adopted. Edit, Unlikely as his Joker would be too old by the time Bruce grows up and dons the cape and cowl. Why did joker kill Randall? Edit, When Arthur gets his mother's records from the hospital, where it can be seen that she was involuntarily admitted at the age of 25 on November 2, 1952. A major theme in the film is the power that the wealthy have over the lives of the poor; a man like Thomas Wayne could easily cover up something like that. Will Joaquin Phoenix's Joker appear in any of Robert Pattinson's Batman movies? Woodlands had dinosaurs before it was cool. in my head. Edit, Probably. Viewers have offered several possibilities:1.) That's what it certainly appears to be? Stack Exchange network consists of 181 Q&A communities including Stack Overflow, the largest, most trusted online community for developers to learn, share their knowledge, and build their careers. One such moment is when Randall (the same Randall who gave him a gun and lied about it) visits his apartment with dwarf David by his side. Belmont Lay The first scene we see Randall, as he hands Arthur a gun, Randall has an evil smile on his face while suggesting Arthur pays him back sometime, followed up with you know youre my boy. which triggers Arthurs laugh. He . Also even though 'Gotham' is a 'Make Believe' city it is clearly modelled on New York - as seen in previous films & the 'City out of control' matches the New York of the early '80s when the film appears to be set - in 1981 there was the highest number of murders recorded & the reported crime figures eventually led to various measures including the eventual 'urban renewal programs'. Did she have this procedure before the abuse took place and could this explain how the abuse could happen without her stopping it? And Joker unlocked the door for him and then kissed him on the head. when he climbs into the fridge, there is very little food inside. They want to slowly roast Arthur with repeated visits until he either snaps or confesses. Or did he go to the store to get them with a lot of supervision? How would Arthur and Bruce's rivalry work in the future? And Arthur could presumably have bought more ammunition in the days between first getting the gun and killing Murray.There is also the possibility that the events of the subway killing happened differently than as portrayed. Isolated, bullied and disregarded by society, Fleck begins a slow descent into madness as he transforms into the criminal mastermind known as the Joker.Fair use.\"Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for \"fair use\" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. To his horror, his conditions rears its head during a trip on the subway, where three Wall Street guys round on him and attempt to beat him to a pulp. He was an 18th-century military captain in charge of His Majesty's Eighth Dragoons. He wasn't even going to kill Murray until he kept provoking him. Edit, It is left unclear in the movie and is left to the viewer to interpret the idea. At the end of the movie, how exactly was Arthur able to get cigarettes and smoke them in the mental hospital? Arthur Fleck doesnt display any more signs of wanting to get revenge on people but, when the opportunity arises, he sure as hell takes it. WARNING: Major spoilers for Joker. Because if he was, that scene must be in his head. Thomas' actor even stated in interviews he played the character as if he was Arthur's father. except for the fact that obviously he's using it to justify his own actions to the point of considering 'funny' to commit murder in the context of the perspective change when he starts considering his tragic life a whole big joke with no punchline. When Arthur gets assaulted by a group of teenagers, Randall offers him a gun to defend himself, but when Arthur gets fired for possessing the weapon, Randall gives no help to him and demonstrates his true colors and gets killed by the newly turn nihilistic criminal Joker. Whats truly chilling here is what Joker does throughout it. (D) Arthur being mentally ill and therefore a rather unreliable witness, he'd have a difficult time getting anyone to believe his testimony, especially when facing in court the (probably) more affluent and better educated friends and families and employers of the three men he killed. Edit, Randall gave the gun to Arthur for money (which he intended to demand from him later). They would have arrested him regardless of whether they believed him or not. What we do know from media and the police were that 3 men were fatally shot, but not how many times. Even then Randall takes advantage of the good nature of Arthur by talking him into taking the gun. The supremely dark new movie "Joker" is the type of flick that offers itself up to many interpretations - both positive and negative. However there are many clues to allude that Thomas is his father, including the photo of a young penny signed "T.W." , as well as the fact that Bruce's actor played a young Joaquin in another film. Three rich bankers: For sure Arthur did those as their deaths were acknowledged on television and by Thomas Wayne, as mayor-wannabe. He did not. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. Why not get an arrest warrant? Arthur Fleck finally gets his chance to be on the Murray Franklin show when a video of his dire standup gets mocked by Robert De Niros character.