Pushing boundaries

Rating: Null/10 (1 September 2008)

I have always thought Batman was the best superhero. He is a man. Not an alien who flies and is indestructible, a chap bitten by a spider or some fellow whose arms and legs extend all over the place. This is more than just a Batman movie.
There is something fundamentally disturbing about this movie that it keeps one riveted through it. Good v Evil is too hackneyed a reason. There have been different kinds of evil and dementia captured well on screen - "Silence of the Lambs", "The Shining", "Apocalypse Now", "Touch of Evil" to name a few of my favourites. This one pushes the line between sane and insane, good and evil by actually blurring them. One is often left rooting for the Joker in a sort of perverse way - just to see what reaction would be drawn from Batman.
Heath Ledger delivers a sensational interpretation of the Joker - I am sure his soul will rest more in peace knowing that this role would be remembered for a long time. The look, the demonic laugh and above all the serpentine flick of his tongue complete what is one of the most effective villains of our time on screen. If Nicholson was funny and almost ridiculous, Ledger was just pure evil - meaningless malignity.
The rest of the movie - the special effects, batman's fall from virtue so that he can get the better of the joker etc - all seems to pass in a blur while the indelible image of the Joker remains in our minds. Too bad Ledger wont be there when Batman gets back - however the Joker will in all probability remain