Move over Jack Nicholson

Rating: 10/10 (2 June 2014)

I have always contended and will continue to trumpet that the villain makes the movie as much as the hero. As much as one may love Batman, if Batman has to conquer his fear of peanut butter, no one would watch. Even if Batman had his hands full with your everyday street punk, still it would not be a good movie. But alas, Batman was opposed by the criminally insane Joker who has propelled to the top of the villain chart.
The Joker has now etched his name alongside the likes of Darth Vader, whom we revered because of his power, his resolve and his ruthlessness. The Joker has also etched his name alongside the likes of Hannibal Lechter who defined mad genius. The Joker is the new mad genius. And as much credit as Heath Ledger deserves for doing a great job, the writers deserve equal if not more credit for the phenomenal story.
Sure, Heath Ledger brought the Joker character to life, but only the writer(s) could give the Joker the maniacal brilliance that he had. Each demented plan was insanely brilliant. And what set the Joker apart the most was his drive and his motive. He was not the villain seeking untold riches with every plan leading to it. He was not the villain seeking ultimate power or immortality with every plan leading to it. Nor was he the villain seeking to rule the universe with every plan leading to it. He was seeking chaos, which did not allow for the hero to hold a bargaining chip and it did not allow the hero to exploit a known weakness. He wanted chaos and he achieved chaos by playing on peoples greed, fear, anger and desperation. The only way that the Joker could be undone was by the people themselves.
This movie was superb. It was masterfully written and executed. I dare not request an encore because I can't imagine them topping this.