7 Movies to Watch Instead of Joker: Folie à Deux

Joker: Folie à Deux is finally available to stream on Max, but many other similarly-themed films might be worth watching in its place. A continuation of Todd Phillips’ 2019 Joker movie based on the iconic DC villain, Joker: Folie à Deux performed poorly at the box office, generating just over $58 million domestically and $206 million worldwide against a $200 million production budget. Joker: Folie à Deux was also tainted by negative reviews from critics and audiences alike. The movie’s musical elements failed to resonate with most viewers, while the subsequent chapter of Arthur’s story was often deemed dull and unnecessary by many. Accordingly, those who haven’t seen Joker: Folie à Deux yet may want to check out these other movies about villains and anti-heroes instead.

Taxi Driver

The first Joker movie garnered comparisons to Martin Scorsese’s acclaimed classic Taxi Driver, as the 1976 film has inspired a multitude of other projects. Of course, Robert De Niro starred in Joker as talk show host Murray Franklin and starred as Travis Bickle in Taxi Driver. Scorsese’s movie follows Bickle, a former military veteran who works the nighttime shift as a New York City cab driver. Bickle’s struggles with his mental health and his penchant for violence led many viewers to recognize similar characteristics in Joker‘s Arthur Fleck. The similarities between the two movies undoubtedly exist, but Taxi Driver tells the better story.

Nightcrawler

The 2014 psychological thriller Nightcrawler stars Jake Gyllenhaal as Louis Bloom, an unemployed thief who enters the journalism scene. While Bloom initially exists as an observer of crime, he straddles the line between hero and villain as he becomes an orchestrator of wrongdoing. Directed by Dan Gilroy, Nightcrawler sees its protagonist spiral into moral depravity by the end, telling a similar story to Joker and its sequel.

American Psycho

Mary Harron’s American Psycho is based on the 1991 novel written by Bret Easton Ellis. Released in 2000, the film stars Christian Bale as New York City banking executive Patrick Bateman. Bateman’s villainous persona is more of an alter ego, as he commits various acts of violence largely in private. The character’s dual personalities resemble what Arthur experiences in the Joker movies, and Bale’s charisma works well in the role.

Collateral

This crime thriller, directed by Michael Mann, focuses on a Los Angeles taxi driver (Jamie Foxx) who picks up and is held hostage by an undercover hitman (Tom Cruise) one night. The driver, Max, is forced to help the killer, Vincent, by escorting him to the targets he must eliminate. Tangled in Vincent’s grisly deeds, Max has to decide which risky measures he is willing to take to make it out alive. Collateral‘s action-packed narrative raises many moral questions that audiences can ponder, offering more than Joker: Folie à Deux.

Psycho

Alfred Hitchcock’s 1960 horror film Psycho is one of the horror genre’s most renowned masterpieces. After Marion Crane (Janet Leigh) flees Phoenix with $40,000 of her employer’s cash, she stops at the Bates Motel and meets its friendly, yet mysterious, owner Norman Bates. Anthony Perkins’ Norman paints a picture of a friendly, yet quietly disturbed man who has grown delusional and has committed violent acts as a result — something that Joker: Folie à Deux also examines.

A History of Violence

David Cronenberg’s A History of Violence chronicles Tom Stall’s (Viggo Mortensen) descent into villainy after the ordinary family man kills in self-defense and attracts widespread attention. Tom’s newfound fame draws the suspicion of a man who believes him to be a former adversary. A History of Violence, released in 2005, raises numerous questions surrounding Tom’s mysterious past as the main character struggles to protect those he loves. Plus, this one is technically a DC Comics adaptation.

Natural Born Killers

Natural Born Killers mirrors Joker: Folie à Deux in that it showcases two lovers as partners in crime. Director Oliver Stone’s 1994 film stars Woody Harrelson as Mickey Knox and Juliette Lewis as Mallory Wilson, who function well as a one-two punch of killers in this movie. A significant step up from Joker Folie à Deux‘s criminals-in-love story, Natural Born Killers highlights the glorification of violence resulting from Mickey and Mallory’s endeavors.