Down below in the dungeon of Arkham Asylum, a desperate psychologist Henny Youngman (Kurt Carley) pulls a few strings in order to get a one on one interview with the infamous Clown Prince (Paul Molnar). With the use of frequent flashbacks, Director Aaron Schoenke dives back into the Joker's early life showing the young man who had failed at being a comic and presumably, failed at being a father. The next few flashbacks depict the first graphic crimes by the Joker, then known as "The Red Hood". The specific lighting shots on the Joker's face and hands produced an eerie effect which illuminated his painted face making each line he delivered extra frightening. Throughout the thirty-four minute film, a creepy musical score produced by Sean Schoenke gave "Patient J" an appropriate tone, especially shown in the interview scenes. Arkham Asylum was dark and creepy. We did not see very much but from what was shown, it was enough to give the representation of an insane asylum. There were shackles hanging from the cinder block walls and ceilings and occasionally screams emitting from the cells above.

Paul Molnar was born for this role. Not taking anything away from Jack Nicholson's wacky portrayal in Batman, Molnar's Joker is more intense, more demented, and even more focused than any other depiction of this character throughout the Batman mythology. Molnar's tone in his voice reminded me specifically of the Animated Series Joker. His mannerisms were equal to Nicholsons' but in such confined area of Arkham, even the simultaneous cracking of his toes made me shudder with delight. The way Paul delivered his lines were not only humorous, but very disturbing psychologically because he was being so serious. You cannot affiliate the Joker without mentioning the maniacal laugh. Molnar's smile spread across his face like a pool of blood seeping from one of his victims - er shall I say, performers. The psychotic unsettling laugh from the Joker was excellent, especially in the portrayal of pain. Although Patient J is relatively short, it provides numerous quotes that will repeatedly run through your head. The Joker's voice was not only the perfect portrayal from Molnar, but the makeup done on him was flawless. He looked absolutely dead-on as the Clown Prince in comparing to the cartoon Joker, comic book Joker, and Jack Nicholson's wide smiled Joker, Molnar's facial features with added makeup made his overall representation entertaining and extraordinary. I would be thrilled if he would ever audition and win the presumed role of the Joker in the sequel to Batman Begins.

With the release of Batman Begins DVD, it was hard for me not to compare Christian Bale's portrayal to the unknown actor who played the Dark Knight in this short independent film. I did enjoy his various costumes, none which were entirely made of leather (with the exception of the cape, cowl, gloves and boots). I was fascinated by how good the costumes looked on screen, having never seen the cloth version before, it was a simplistic and impressive touch. As far as acting, the Batman never really had any dialogue. His voice was gruff like Bale's and the fight sequences were enjoyable. There was no swooping down from his grappling gun or use of any gadgets, but simple kicks and punches thrown were just enough action for me to get my kicks.

The last character that made me smile had to be Harley Quinn. She was in the final scenes and only had a few lines of dialogue with Paul, but she nailed them perfectly. I loved it when she was out of costume and had the sexy thick glasses on while she greeted "Mister J". This was a sweet nod to the Animated Series of the 1990's where Harley Quinn was equally demented. After seeing her and the Joker in full costume, I realized that this short film was a masterpiece. It had all the right elements to be an essential Batman story and deserves to be recognized as an addition to the Batman Mythology.

The interview sequence between Paul and Kurt was high and low. The high parts belonged to Molnar while the low scenes were delivered by Kurt. The Joker stole the spotlight in this film and I found it absurd that psychologist had a back story that turned out to be ridiculous and irrelevant to the true portrayal of the Joker. Kurt Carley's lines were not impressive and brought down the tone of the film. I found his acting to be dismal and nothing short of disappointing. Even though the dialogue was weak and the side story of Henny Youngman exerting revenge on the Joker quickly turned into wanting to become part of the Joker's legacy, I did enjoy bits and pieces of their interaction together.

It is truly hard for me to be critical of such art when I am a fan of this creation. Some flashback scenes, specifically Batman killing the Joker was a letdown. It lowered the pace of the film and was not really necessary, although it was inserted to give further explanation between the bizarre relationship of Batman and the Joker. Although I am not a fan of Robin and I have to admit, I thoroughly enjoyed Joker's murderous flashback of killing him, the overall scenes of Robin were less impressive compared to Batman's fight scenes. I also felt that Robin without pants was somewhat campy and a little too weird for my taste. Overall, I agree with the Joker's reasoning that Batman does not need a sidekick. One final quip I have was the fact that Arkham Asylum, full of serial killers and psychopaths, was extremely easy to escape from, however I realize that this is not the most important part of the film.

"Patient J" offers a unique outlook on Batman's most villainous arch-enemy. The creative minds of David Hammond, Aaron and Sean Schoenke delivered a fascinating tale that digs into the mind of the deranged Clown Prince and answers questions about his evil motives. Bat In The Sun Productions offers a unique version of the Joker by digging into the mind and reason behind the criminal acts committed over time. "Patient J" is an exceptionally well done piece put together with an admirable performance by Molnar who does indeed get his three gold stars.

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