Narrative issues...not a masterpiece!! but a master performance from Phoenix

Rating: 7/10 (7 October 2019)

Effective imagining of the forces that shape a malcontent, but its been done to death, the abused disenfranchised being who is forced through pain into psychotic breakout, lashing out against injustice, his tormentors and society. This was such a cliche rationale for the advent of Joker in the world of Gotham, it was at its heart way too mainstream in narrative, going into details of child abuse ?? Like a Daily Mail headline, a really really bad idea and a very ordinary device. And did I really hear CREAM ? Omg could not believe my ears coz of the White Room madhouse scene looming ??? AAGH ..that was a very poor choice and ripped me out of Gotham city post haste and into London's Troubadour club. This film could have been way more imaginatively written and executed, and seriously if not for JP it might have fallen very flat indeed. Yes he contortioned himself in extra ordinary ways to bring Arthur to life and he deserves the Oscar. But lets not forget he is NOT the Joker as was Heath, he is Arthur pre-Joker.... so can people please stop comparing. AND it is NOT a masterpiece, so can people think before they declare it thus...its a film with an absolute tour deforce performance that elevates it above the mediocre, that's what it is. And may i add that this individual Arthur and his characterization as presented here could NOT become clever wily Joker, he s a sad loser who s been brutalized and is now kill crazy. Not too bright. Not ever gonna actually be DC JOKER, so there s a disconnect and one so fundamental that it kind of makes this film redundant as part of the Batman Gotham diaspora....so in summary its an arresting characterization of a mentally ill person sure, but i felt no connection at all between Arthur and Joker, i think they forgot about context and cohesion and veered off into some place between Falling Down and Cuckoos Nest