I know there are real problems in the world and that this space could be better used to try inform those of you not just doing the sudoku and/or crossword of those problems, but all I can think about this week is “The Dark Knight.”
More specifically, the late Heath Ledger’s performance of the Joker.
To put it simply, the film is nothing short of brilliant, and apparently I’m not alone in thinking this, because at the point of this writing, it is edging out “The Godfather” and “The Shawshank Redemption” as the best film ever made according to an Internet Movie Database poll.
The only major complaint I’ve heard so far is the length. Yes, it does clock in at about 2:45, but it never dragged in any part, and I can honestly say I would have guessed it was about 45 minutes shorter until I looked at my watch as I was leaving.
And then of course there’s Heath Ledger’s amazing, and tragically, final, performance of the Joker. The Oscar buzz is deserved, but sadly probably wouldn’t exist if not for Ledger’s untimely death.
This really is, by far, the best Joker we’ve ever seen. Jack Nicholson’s Joker is a mobster with a scar who likes pranks. Ledger’s is chaos and insanity personified.
This time around, the Joker has no real name, we never see his face without the makeup, and he doesn’t even have a back story. Even in the comics there have been several visions of the Joker brought about by different writers, but this is by far my favorite.
The man’s not lying to cover up his past. He is actually so insane that he no longer remembers, or even really cares, who he is.
The best thing this movie does is play on the Joker vs. Batman dynamic. The Joker doesn’t want to kill Batman, he needs him. And it’s not because of the rule against killing that Batman has. Hell, it’s because of the Joker that they’re on (at least) the third Robin in the comics. OK, the first one retired, but the Joker beat the second one to death with a crowbar then blew him up. No, Batman is the one that makes it fun, because really, they’re pretty evenly matched. They’re both just some guy. No real superpowers for either of them. Batman is a really smartreally rich kid whose parents got shot so he decided to spend his life fighting crime.
The Joker is quite possibly the smartest man in the world, and definitely the craziest. Batman’s biggest strength is that he’s always two steps ahead of the criminals. The Joker is three steps ahead of Batman. He may lose in a fist fight, but he has a reason for losing that fight.
The Joker’s the kind of guy who would leave a flaming bag on your doorstep, but instead of poop it would be full of kittens.
The movie does so many other things exceptionally well, but I’d hate to spoil anything (and I’m close to my space limit), so go check out one of the best, and darkest, films of the year. Really, what else is there to do in the summer in Stillwater?
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actually, you do get to see Jokers face without make-up, u can see his face after he supposedly shoots the lieutenant
It’s true. It’s a quick shot of him in line with the military when the “salute” turns deadly.