The Dark Knight

When I first saw a friend’s YM status; “Why… so serious? Let’s put a smile on that face” (Joker), I thought it was funny. More my friends put another Joker’s quotes as their YM status. As all people said that Heath Ledger’s Joker is astounding – and rumor has it that he was badly depressed, which led to his death, for taking the villainous role seriously – I decided that I would watch The Dark Knight, although I never regret missing box office superhero movies.

What I didn’t expect is Joker does not utter the words in comic scenes, he says that while putting a knife inside someone else’s mouth, pushing the knife at his left corner lips. It’s a joke only he can understand. His other famous quote that I heard most; “What doesn’t kill you only make you stranger”, is uttered when he put a gun in another one’s mouth. None of these scenes I dare seeing.

But that means praise for Heath Ledger. Is it his sadism and masochism – or his chilling laughs when torturing or being beaten – or the fact that Heath Ledger was depressed and died after the shooting that makes everyone frightened? When I am frightened by a particular scary scene or villain in a movie, I always remind myself it’s just acting and those people will laugh after they finish the work. But Heath Ledger doesn’t give me a chance to remember that. He stunningly appears inhuman. 

His stealing-attention performance reminds me of a chapter in a Japanese comic about acting world. Ayumi, one of the two best actresses in Japan, wants to give a good lesson to a new actress (let’s call her Riyo, I don’t remember her name) who she knows had played a dirty trick to throw her sole equal rival, Maya, out of the acting world. Ayumi then co-stars as a villain in a play where Riyo plays the leading role. Ayumi improves the role to become empathetic and pitied that she shifts the audience attention from Riyo to her. It reaches the climax when Ayumi and Riyo hug each other, with Riyo facing the audience. But it’s Ayumi, whose back is facing the audience, who receives the audience stare. That moment Riyo realizes that she had lost. No one remember her after the play. 

I don’t mean to dwarf Bale’s role here. Heath’s Joker is just being the moon to Bale’s Batman sun in a solar eclipse. Joker is a supporting role, yet Ledger shifts our attention to him.

I don’t watch many superhero movies, but almost all who has watched The Dark Knight agree that it might be the best one. It might also have the best Joker. Movie critics have compared Ledger with Jack Nicholson in 1989 Batman, which I haven’t watched either. But when I first found out that Jack Nicholson was the Joker, all I can think is he suits Joker very well. His devilish smile and neurotic behavior are advantages to play Joker. But Heath Ledger doesn’t have comical and mischievous behavior. That he managed to play psychotic mass murderer that looks nothing like his character leaves the audience stunned. I held my breath more often when I saw him pointing a knife than during the prisoner’s dilemma resemblance scene when many people were about to blast each other. Therefore, unless you can’t stand violence, the Dark Knight is worth seeing, even if only to see the Joker.