Why Heath Ledger Deserves an Oscar

I, like many other Batman fans and excited moviegoers, waited for months to see "The Dark Knight." After seeing The Joker's calling card at the end of "Batman Begins," a hint of what was to come in July, I was absolutely thrilled to see my favorite villain of all time on the big screen again.

Don't get me wrong: Jack Nicholson's portrayal of the Clown Prince of Crime in Tim Burton's 1989 adaptation was a joy to watch, despite the countless rifles, giggles and bullet shells. But after seeing "The Dark Knight" and Heath Ledger's Joker, there is no doubt in my mind that this actor - who unfortunately passed in January 2008 -- deserves an Oscar.

I've been a fan of the Batman series for years, but I think I've been a bigger fan of its all-star villain. There was something about The Joker that appealed to me, that made want to know more about him - a charisma that would be dangerous (and likely fatal) had he not been a fictional character.

Alan Moore's graphic novel The Killing Joke solidified my admiration for the Prince of Knaves; the dark and demented comic, illustrated by Brian Bolland, delves into the deepest crypts of The Joker's mind, where chaos reigns supreme and logic does not exist. The reader understand page by page why The Joker is the way he is, a victim of unfortunate circumstances: a faulty microwave, a vat of chemicals, one man in a Bat suit. It is likely that "Dark Knight" director Christopher Nolan reached for themes found in The Killing Joke, such as The Joker's intense desire to prove that only "one bad day" could drive a man to madness. It is in reaching for these themes that "The Dark Knight" succeeds as a film with a strong premise and even stronger characters.

Ledger brings an incredible amount of depth to The Joker, possibly more than Nicholson could to his character in 1989. While Nicholson reveals a showy Joker, one that publicly lavishes in the attention caused by the destruction he brings with confetti and music, Ledger's is much more subdued and cool. The audience witnesses a more calculating Joker in "Dark Knight," and even though he relishes in the horror and pain he creates, he only announces it when it is necessary.

I was surprised to see that Ledger's Joker did not laugh as much as I expected. The villain I usually picture is a conniving, cackling fiend. The Joker of "The Dark Knight" is only conniving and disturbing with the occasional giggle-chuckle. Ledger's psychotic persona is tainted by more darkness than Nicholson's. His humor - Ledger's - is still sick; his "trick" with making a pencil disappear only ends in with death. To him, death is only a joke he understands, and he doesn't care if he is the last one laughing. In fact, I think that's what he wants - but perhaps not more than taunting Batman himself.

The film successfully executed the masochistic struggle between The Joker and Batman, a struggle in which Batman has difficulty defeating. Batman cannot find a motive within The Joker simply because the criminal is a psychopath; The Joker is an obviously intelligent individual who manages to concoct and conduct intricate plans that lead to disasters for Batman, Lieutenant/Commissioner Gordon and the rest of the Gotham City Police. The Joker needs no motive for the pain - it's all in fun for him, and he savors the thrill of the cat-and-mouse game, even though he is oftentimes the mouse.

Careful to not reveal his teeth with a grin, The Joker sheds light upon a strange, twisted sense of balance within "The Dark Knight." In one scene before the movie's end, he dangles hundreds of feet above ground, suspended by one of the Caped Crusader's cables. He announces that he doesn't want to kill Batman - he's, after all, too much fun. The Joker cannot survive without Batman; he is his fuel, his fire, his joke, and he is desperate to find the punchline. What makes Batsy tick?

Ledger exquisitely captures the mania The Joker is known for in the DC Comics series without going over the top. He makes us laugh, yes - I mean, how priceless was the scene where he's dressed in a nurse's outfit, frustrated over the last of his undetonated bombs? - but more than that, he makes us afraid. Ledger portrays a psychopath that cannot be tamed, perhaps not even by Batman. For we all know what happens when The Joker is locked away in prison or Arkham Asylum.

He finds a way out.

Ledger brings the Joker to life in "The Dark Knight"; it is a performance that certainly gives Nicholson's a run for his money, and will hopefully cause the powers that be who award the Oscars next year to think twice before casting their votes.