

For some, the subplot involving Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart) feels tacked on or shortchanged, but understood in the context of this dichotomy, Dent's fall from grace reveals how easily the scales of justice and civil order can be toppled, if not completely surrendered.įor a more in-depth take on the movie, you can read our review of the Blu-ray SDR HERE. But because the Joker is driven by a faith and an ideology that others find irrational, Batman struggles with the best response, tempted to abandon the principles and values he espouses in order to defeat the enemy. If the Dark Knight super sleuth working in the fringes of the law and civil order is born of necessity to a lawless, corrupt city, then the Joker is a reaction to that necessity, a logical, calculating criminal who embraces the illogical. This Clown Prince of Crime is shrouded in mystery and recklessly unpredictable - or at least, that's how he portrays himself to those who underestimate him, especially Christian Bale's Batman. Goyer, Nolan scrapped the wisecracking smartass persona most mainstream audiences are familiar with and essentially recreated the character as a twisted, dangerous menace without a backstory or history. And in this version of Batman's most famous supervillain, he is capable of literally anything to satisfy his own selfish desires.Ĭollaborating with his brother Jonathan and David S. Whereas other portrayals of the psychotic villain have traditionally been more cartoonish and wacky, Ledger's Jester of Genocide actually lives up to the character's famed insanity, a raving lunatic who is surprisingly intelligent and a highly talented Machiavellian schemer. Without a doubt, a major part of its continued fascination and enjoyment over the years is the unforgettable performance of the late Heath Ledger as the homicidal psychopath Joker. To this day, nearly ten years later, many kids too young to remember its original theatrical run still dress in the Batman and Joker outfits from this particular production.

Considering the movie's immensely strong following and lasting cultural impact, it's probably stating the obvious this is the most beloved of all the Batman adaptations and the favorite in the Nolan canon. Christopher Nolan followed up the success of his realistic take of the Caped Crusader with The Dark Knight, an even grittier, darker and unromanticized version of the Batman mythos.
