WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for Kin, in theaters now.


James Franco's filmography is impressively diverse, ranging from comedies like The Pineapple Express to dramas like 127 Hours to action movies like Homefront.

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Of course, fans of superhero movies may best remember him as Harry Osborn from Sam Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy. But in the new sci-fi thriller Kin, Franco plays a gangster who sets off on a lethal road trip, a performance that demonstrates he's ready for a return to that arena in an iconic, and sinister, role: The Joker.

Franco's Taylor Balik pursues Kin's protagonists, brothers Eli (Myles Truitt) and Jimmy (Jack Reynor), because the latter owes him protection money from a stint in prison. But Franco turns in a performance that's more than a thug with a vendetta. There's a depth to the character that goes beyond revenge; Taylor is as cerebral as he is maniacal, the perfect combination for the portrayal of The Joker.

Franco's character is tattooed and intimidating, similar to Jared Leto's turn as the Clown Prince of Crime in 2016's Suicide Squad, but he has a quiet intensity like Heath Ledger's Oscar-winning depiction of the villain in The Dark Knight. In Kin, he swings from reserved moments to fits of pure chaos without warning. But in between, he churns out some subtle, and at other times, not-so-subtle jokes that beg for him to slap on some make-up and a purple suit.

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His idiosyncrasies are truly unsettling. For example, when Taylor kills, he sings lullabies to his victims. There's also a scene where he's told the convenience store restroom is for customers only, and he responds by taking out his gun and urinating in front the cashier. The act scares the clerk and even freaks out his own gang, but it's made more sinister by Taylor never raising his voice.

When Taylor instructs his men to bring him the brothers alive, he reminds us how The Joker goes crazy when directing his minions to bring him Batman. The Joker's a mix of anger and humor is epitomized when Taylor murders Jimmy's father Hal (Dennis Quaid) in a botched robbery. Hal attempts to stop them from stealing his safe at work early in the film, only for Jimmy to attempt to send his father away. However, Taylor tells him to show respect to the old-timer. He reminds Hal that Jimmy has to pay the debt, and recites a parable. It's all misdirection, though, and he kills Hal. That sets the tone for the rest of Kin, because as funny and kooky as the drug-sniffing Taylor is, audiences also see how violent he gets, killing with a smile on his face.

The way he eventually goes after the brothers when they're arrested for a spate of robberies feels like Franco is channeling his inner-Mr. J. That's exemplified when he decides to assault the precinct they're held at, coming off as relentless and ruthless; just as The Joker has been in decades of comics, cartoons and films.

That's why Kin proves Franco's ideal to terrorize Gotham. He displays the full range of emotions that embody Joker, and carries out crazy acts of terrorism to get what he wants. More so, as funny and eccentric as Franco's Taylor is, he's absolutely obsessed with achieving his goals, and will go to any length to do so.


Directed by Jonathan Baker and Josh Baker, Kin stars Jack Reynor (Transformers: Age of Extinction), Zoë Kravitz (The Divergent Series), Carrie Coon (Avengers: Infinity War), Dennis Quaid (Frequency), James Franco (The Disaster Artist) and Myles Truitt (Black Lightning). The film is playing in theaters nationwide.