The gritty R-rated realistic take on the Joker movie has so far proven to be monumental in the comic book movie genre. The film offers a different 'character study' take on the clown prince of crime but that doesn't come without a nod to pay respect to one of the great adaptation of the DC villain.
Warning: Article contains major spoilers
The Joker movie is in theatres worldwide and critics and fans alike have been praising Joaquin Phoenix's performance. The acclaimed responses on social media have gone to the point that many believe the new version does justice and stands among the best iteration along with Heath ledger's portrayal of the Joker.
Post the climatic events in Joaquin Phoenix's Joker, Arthur Fleck is shown riding inside a police car after being captured for murdering Murray Franklin, the late-night talk show host portrayed by Robert De Niro.
While being taken away, Joker is shown resting his head on the side windshield inside the police car as he stares at Gotham's skyline. To those unaware, that exact shot is, in fact, a tribute to Heath Ledger's Joker.
In the Dark Knight, DC fans would remember Ledger's Joker being taken away by the cops in a similar fashion. but instead of laying his head on the windshield in Phoenix's Joker, Ledger's clown prince of prince embraces his freedom by putting his head out of the window.
It must be noted that though the new Joker movie paid respect to the late Ledger for his iconic adaptation - Phoenix admitted in an earlier interview with EW that he did not reference the Oscar-winning actor's performance to craft his own approach to the character.
"The attraction to make this film and this character was that we were going to approach it in our own way, so, for me, I didn't refer to any past [screen portrayals of the Joker]," the actor said. "It just felt like something that was our creation in some ways."
Joker is in theatres.
