Phoenix is phenomenal as the character: Emaciated, always appearing to be on the verge of a psychotic episode. As his angst turns him into slaying three privileged men on the subway, he is celebrated by some as a vigilante as those killings underline the void between the elite and the deprived. Rioters wearing clown masks become his fan club, making mayhem on the streets. In its second hour, that element becomes increasingly pronounced, The Joker as an antihero, a beacon for the angry hordes in their rampage against the establishment. Phillips version is ultimately about the arrival of the King of Anarchy, the clown to be crowned. There are glimpses of his future, as in his encounter with the boy Bruce Wayne, who will grow into his nemesis. And it connects the Joker to the Batman backstory of the murder of his parents.