Everyone loves a Joker

The Dark Knight (2008)

Heath Ledger died a tragic and untimely death, but that is not what earns an actor an Oscar. An actor earns an Oscar through their skill distracting an audience from their day-to-day lives, as well as the social and political timing of their role. No actor ever earned an award without a good script, a solid director, and quality source material. Understanding these concepts we can conjecture that Ledger might possibly be in the running for a posthumous Oscar. If we add in the squealing fan vote, it's possible that he might pull off an Oscar for presenting us with an iconic a pulp villain.

Christopher Nolanhas learned from the success of his previous film, Batman Begins, that epic violence, a dark brooding hero, gritty police officers, and an operatic musical score will draw in box office cash. The Dark Knight cashes in on these cinematic conventions in excess. In a scene where we the audience would expect a car crash, we are shown a truck crash. Where we would expect bank robbers to 'rat' on their accomplices, the accomplices are murdered. Where we would expect a building to explode, we are shown a citywide apocalypse. Where we would expect a man, we are shown the epitome of chaos and destruction in a purple suit.

Occasionally in movies and literature a supporting character will out shine the main character, the director or writer does not plan for it but it happens. Darth Vader is iconic, while Luke Skywalker kissed his sister. Harrison Ford was the Fugitive, but Tommy Lee Jones was in the sequel. John Conner may be the man destined to save the world, but the Terminator is the name of the franchise. In The Dark Knight we see the return of Christian Bale and Gary Oldman but the audience is there to see a dead man in white face paint. The audience wants to root for the iconic villain, but his actions make them pause in their seats. His behavior is abhorrent to modern American standards, for he is clearly a terrorist destroying our way of life. But he is the focal point of the movie; one cannot watch the movie without focusing on his behavior.

Nolan buries the audience in foibles and situations about the lengths a man will go to achieve his goals. We are shown an honest man pushed beyond the limits of sanity, as he watches loved ones die. We are shown a man with noble goals who questions his actions, and we see a man who pushes others beyond their emotional limits because it amuses him to do so. In the present day our evening news is beleaguered with stories of men who went over the line in the course of achieving what they perceive to be justice, or an honest profit. Ledger was presented with a character ripped from the headlines, and painted in garish colors to turn the evening news into a palatable caricature so that it might amuse you the audience. Ledger embraced his role with a zeal that the Batman franchise has never been graced with. His transformation is complete; He disappears into his purple suit and hides in plain sight as a man without a past. The audience and the Batman are left guessing as to what the Jokers agenda truly is.


The secret to the creation of a good story is to have an origin, a conflict, and a resolution. Similarly, a good comedian knows when the joke has scored with the audience, and they know when exit the stage. Perhaps the Joker is the greatest comedian ever, because he left the stage before we had even heard the joke.