More outstanding than the hype!

Rating: 9/10 (24 October 2019)

A masterpiece! Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix) is a pathetic loser in Gotham's fractured society circa early 1980s. By day a clown-for-hire and by night an aspiring stand-up comic Being a successful comedian he could better care for his sick elderly mother living in a rundown apartment. Arthur has a neurological malady that has him breaking out in screeching laughter at inopportune situations. Suffering humiliation and raw despair, his comedy is flat and tends to lead to violence. When the dysfunctional comic gets his hands on a gun discovers what talent he possess is not for comedy. One bad decision after another brings Fleck to the center of a chain reaction of chaos giving a new origin myth of Batman's notable supervillain opponent...The Joker!.
Phoenix's performance is pure brilliance. Also featured are: Robert De Niro, Zazie Beetz, Bill Camp, Shea Willingham, Frances Conroy and Brett Cullen.