Joker

Right now you can watch Joker in Australia on Netflix and Amazon Prime Video, and in the US on HBO Max Amazon Channel and YouTube TV — and it earns its twists rather than manufacturing them. It knows exactly what kind of film it is from the opening scene, and never loses that thread. With 27,915 viewer ratings on TMDB, this is not a title flying under the radar. Joaquin Phoenix sets the tone, and the ensemble matches it scene for scene. Available now on Netflix — press play and find out why people keep recommending it.

Joker arrived without much fanfare and built its audience the hard way — through word of mouth. Joker treats its mystery as a means, not an end in itself. 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. The writing gets a boost from Joaquin Phoenix and Robert De Niro, who sell every scene they're in. It hit screens in 2019. What distinguishes the best crime dramas from the rest is whether the character work can carry scenes where the mystery takes a breath — Joker passes that test consistently. The hit rate here is high enough that skipping ahead never feels like an option.

Viewers who think they have seen every crime drama tend to find Joker proves them wrong. It rewards viewers regardless of what else is in their watch history. It is a manageable watch, easy to fit into a single evening. Joaquin Phoenix carries scenes that would sink a lesser production. The resolution feels inevitable rather than arbitrary, which is rarer than it sounds.