Unpredictability
One thing about Heath Ledger’s role as the Joker that I’ve failed to talk about thus far is the sheer unpredictability of the role. Most villains in movies, based on comic books or not, have a motive behind why they commit the crimes they do. In may cases, these motives include things such as money, world domination, power, greed, etc. What is so brilliant about the Joker is that he has no motive… no cause. The “clown prince of crime’s” zest for living comes from the feeling he gets when he commits crimes. He commits crimes for the sake of committing crimes. As he says in a scene from The Dark Knight, “This city deserves a better class of criminal, and I’m gonna give it to them.” What the Joker is referring to is the selfish motives in which the strong majority of criminals thrive off of when they carry out their individual crimes. To further prove his point, as he said the above quote, there is a stack of money about thirty feet high being burned behind him. He doesn’t run on money. He runs on creating chaos. As Bruce Wayne’s butler Alfred said in The Dark Knight, “Some me just want to watch the world burn.”
The Joker is pure madness. Heath Ledger played the part of a madman to perfection, making him deserving of the Best Supporting Actor Oscar at the upcoming Academy Awards. To show you an example of his brilliant role, I’ve inserted a clip. Enjoy!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S7EWpYvX29o
