the joker Archives — Kyle A. Massa

I somehow made it through awards season without seeing many of the Academy Award Nominated films. Maybe I’ve been playing too much Fire Emblem: Awakening with the shades drawn. Anyway, I’ve gradually started to see more of them. Last night, Whiplash became the latest.

The film stars Miles Teller as Andrew Neiman, an ambitious jazz drummer at a competitive music conservatory, and J.K. Simmons as Terence Fletcher, an emotionally abusive music teacher. The film centers on the relationship between Neiman and Fletcher, examining Neiman’s thirst for greatness that is only swollen by Fletcher’s search for extraordinary talent.

Though Teller delivers an excellent performance, Simmons really steals the show (I mean, he did win the Oscar). Anyone can yell and scream obscenities, but Simmons balances those scenes with kind, almost touching moments of humanity. In one scene, for example, Neiman glimpses his teacher meeting with a friend and his daughter backstage before a show. Fletcher says to his friend’s daughter, “I’m so sorry, can I have your autograph?” And then later, “What do you say, you ready for Carnegie Hall?” It’s not said with the biting sarcasm he uses elsewhere in the film, though; it’s a surprisingly sweet scene.

Simmons’s Terence Fletcher is certainly a villain; there’s no questioning that. But, like any truly good villain, he’s still a person.

There’s another telling scene toward the end of the film in which Fletcher reveals his teaching style to Neiman. He says, “…it’s about pushing people beyond what’s expected of them. And I believe that is a necessity. Because without it you’re depriving the world of its next Armstrong. Its next Parker.” And then comes the line that probably encapsulates the character best: “There are no two words more harmful in the entire English language than ‘good job.'”

It’s an amazing scene because Fletcher justifies his aggressive teaching style. And though we as the audience probably didn’t understand him before (when he was slapping students, hurling chairs at them, and forcing them to play into the late hours of the morning), we might understand him now. This is the mark of an excellent fictional villain: one who commits reprehensible acts, yet reasonably justifies her/his actions.

Now I don’t want to diss the classic evil dude archetype. The Anton Chigurhs, Saurons, and Freddy Kruegers of film and literature are often just as awesome as their more rounded counterparts. But that sort of villain is seen less and less in modern stories. Filmgoers and readers seem far more interested in villains like Terence Fletcher, speaking generally. Guys like The Joker, Jaime Lannister, and Hans Landa are popular villains for a reason. It’s because people seem to be looking for villains with well-rounded psychologies and compelling motives for their evil acts.

Whiplash certainly doesn’t pass judgment on Fletcher’s actions either way. In fact, at the end of the film, Neiman does become Fletcher’s greatest student.

And when the villain helps the hero achieve his dreams, you’ve got to admit…that’s a new (and pretty cool) kind of villain.

Four years ago, I (like many others) saw Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight. Two and a half hours later, I came out of the theatre thinking that there would never be a superhero film as good as that.

I was wrong.

I know I’m probably in the minority here, but I thought that The Dark Knight Rises was a better film than was The Dark Knight. Shocking, I know. I surprised myself when I decided this. But nevertheless, I truly believe that Rises was the best in the trilogy. Let me tell you why.

For starters, let’s get one thing out of the way. Heath Ledger’s performance as the Joker was incomparable. Incredible. Indescribable. His mere presence on the screen was enough to compel millions of filmgoers to flock to the theaters. And whether or not you think his death had anything to do with it, he still won the Academy Award for the role. But a performance like that can be a detriment as well as a strength. When the villain literally steals the show from the hero, you might have a problem.

Here’s a simple test to prove my point. Go find a friend who saw The Dark Knight and loved it. That shouldn’t be too hard. Now ask that friend why she or he loved the movie so much. I’ll bet you a cool thousand that the answer was two words: “The Joker.”

Now see if you can find a friend who liked Rises more than Dark Knight. That might be a little more tricky. I’ll bet you another thousand that they have a much different answer than just one actor’s performance.

My point is this: The Dark Knight was too Joker-centric. Christopher Nolan knew it, Jonathan Nolan knew it, and everyone who saw the film knew it too. Everyone loved it. But I felt that it became less about Batman/Bruce Wayne’s character and more about “what can Batman do to stop the Joker?”

The Dark Knight Rises introduces us to a very different Batman. Ruined both physically and spiritually, I found him to be a much more compelling character this time around, with far more dramatic depth than in the previous two installments. We got to see a much more human side to Bruce Wayne, a much more vulnerable side, one that has doubts about the Batman. I found this to be a brilliant conflict: the idea that Batman no longer wants to be Batman.

And let’s not forget the ending. The final twenty minutes of the film were brilliant. I thought that the Nolan brothers did a fantastic job playing with filmgoers expectations, such as with Batman’s death and the presence of Robin. It was excellent screenwriting, in my opinion, and it helped to elevate the film above a mundane superhero story and into very human territory.

Yes, the critics will say that the Bruce Wayne/Selina Kyle relationship was underdeveloped, among other complaints. I completely agree. But the film isn’t a romance. It’s an action film and the conclusion to a trilogy.

Of course, based on the ending, it is possible that it isn’t the conclusion. It’s possible that there will be a spin-off series of Robin films.

We can only wait and hope.

Tag: the joker

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