Ledger's performance

Rating: 9/10 (21 July 2008)

First, I hate Batman movies along with most other empty-headed summer escapism movies, but I was very interested in seeing this one as critics have rightly rated it very highly.
Plenty has been said about the film and its qualities, but I'd like to add that Heath Ledger's performance was by far the highlight of this movie, and I'm not saying that for any kind of sentimental reason. It was Shakespeare who first concluded that the most important ingredient in a drama was the villain must be strong, believable and sympathetic to the audience. Ledger's performance was all of those things. It was a hyper-dimensional performance showing real courage and intelligence on his part. The performances of every other actor (except Gary Oldman and Maggie Gyllenhaal) were wooden by comparison.
The film is an achievement, primarily because of Ledger.