‘I saw 15 minutes and left’: This great director will release Joker 2

We owe him the screenplays for Martin Scorsese’s Taxi Driver, Raging Bull and The Last Temptation, as well as American Gigolo, La Feline and The Light Sleeper. Paul Schrader is a Hollywood great, and when he speaks his mind — as he often does on his official Facebook account — he never gets over it. His latest victim? Joker: Folie à deux by Todd Phillips.

The continuation of the success of 2019 did not please critics and the public. The film’s second weekend in the US dropped by 81%. he asked magazine interview On this long-awaited sequel, Paul Schrader says bluntly:I saw 10 or 15 minutes and went out to buy something, came back, saw 10 new minutes. It was enough.”

I didn’t like any of these people.

The famous screenwriter and director describes the film as follows:A very bad musicalWhen asked to explain why, he adds:I didn’t like any of these people. I don’t like them as actors. I don’t like their characters. I didn’t like anything. These are the people who knock on your door and you shut it.“

Paul Schrader’s point seems to echo much of the negative response to the film. It must be said that the screenwriter behind Taxi Driver may not have fully understood that Todd Phillips’ first installment carried the essence of Martin Scorsese’s classic.

Words by Todd Phillips

When asked by AlloCiné about the risks the film represents and the possible public backlash, Todd Phillips responded:I think it’s up to the filmmaker. Being a director means you have to work hard and take risks. And I feel that as you progress in your career and you have the ability to do it, it would be a shame not to do it. So to me it’s a no-brainer.“

Commentaries collected by Thomas Desroches, London, 25 September 2024.

Joker: Folie à deux is currently in theaters.