Send in the clowns : Joker, vigilante films, and populist revolt

Todd Phillips’ Joker has struck a nerve in our increasingly polarised and rage-fuelled times. Many critics have railed against its somewhat sympathetic portrayal of the transformation of masculine alienation and fragility into a nihilistic rage. Other critics have suggested that it is an exemplary study of the realities of mental illness, alienation, and the broader conditions of life under neoliberal governance. In part, these conflicting perspectives can be read as reaction to the way that Joker fuses together its disparate elements. At its core, we argue the film is a modern reinterpretation of the vigilante genre that also draws upon the historical symbolism of the clown. In this chapter, we unpack the role of these two key elements of Joker and illustrate how both serve to add nuance to Phillips’ vision while at the same time limiting the film’s depth. We maintain that while the film engages with serious themes such as race, gender, meaning, and identity, these themes are ultimately constrained by the film’s Manichean economic message and deliberate courting of populist appeal.