The truth is that when you look at Jack Nicholson’s Joker, you can see Jack Nicholson, when you look at Joaquin Phoenix’ Joker, you can still see Joaquin Phoenix acting. When you look at Heath Ledger’s Joker, you only see the Joker.

This is one of the only performances I have ever seen where I don't see an actor. I just see the character in every aspect of his manner

The fact that nearly 15yr later and we're still talking about it shows just how amazing Heath was.

In my opinion, Heath Ledgers Joker is the best villain portrayal in movie history. To be able to redefine such an iconic character is genius. RIP Heath.

Heath dissapeared and the Joker emerged. The finest portrayal ive ever witnessed. A character that was genuinely terrifying.

I was 16 when this movie came out and I remember seeing it for the first time and thinking, even then: "people are going to be talking about this performance forever". Here we are almost 15 years later, and it still hurts sometimes to remember how sudden his death was, and to wonder how much we missed out on by losing him so soon.

Saw it in theaters. The Joker was so immersive, you felt like no one was safe, even the people in the theater, even though it was just a movie. It was so powerful, it broke the 4th wall all by itself.

The TV scene with that chaotic camara movement, the yell when he says: "LOOK AT ME!" and then quickly switches into his normal tone, is amazing. Not to mention the LAUGH he pulls out at the end which is absolutely astonishing. It is the eff JOKER.

The one thing I think is most overlooked about the loss of Heath is the potential work he would’ve eventually done BEHIND the camera. I imagine had he not passed we would’ve been treated to a great acting career followed by an all-time great directing career. The thought of a film he both acted and starred in leaves me in wonder and simultaneous sadness.

The fact that Ledger gave this brilliant of a performance when he was only 27 is mesmerizing and heartbreaking. Every time I see his Joker, it makes me wonder what could have been if his life wasn't cut so tragically, unfairly short. You left too soon, Heath, but I hope you're at peace now, wherever you are.

Heath Ledger's performance as the Joker is one of the greatest performances of all time and I honestly think it's impossible to top what he did.

The very best depiction of the Joker, a true madman, insane to the bone. Heath went above and beyond for this role. May he rest in eternal peace.

After years of appreciating this performance I thought I had nothing left to learn about it or appreciate from it.... Thank you for proving me wrong!! Fascinating stuff. Keep it up

You missed how in control the joker really is. He doesn't drink any alcohol, he tosses it and pretends to drink. He's not unhinged. He's completely in control and calculative through the entire movie.

An absolute masterclass in acting. You just wanted him to be in every scene. His death after such an incredible performance only adds to the mythos of the whole thing. RIP Heath.

Of the three Nolan Batman films It's The Dark Knight that's by far the best. Heath Ledger does a performance you never get tired of.The same shock value never seems to wash away. Going so deep into being the Joker must have been a huge mental burden.

I didn't want this video to end. That's how good the content is

To me, the most interesting thing about the character is that he wasn't the least bit chaotic. He always had a plan. And more importantly, he had a very specific agenda, to prove that human fallibility made people irredeemable, and to prove that he was right to be evil. But chaos isn't evil, as the movie proves. The Joker succeeds in stripping Gotham of law and order. But what lies underneath, in the end, is something the Joker didn't expect. He never could have imagined that by stripped the world of rules, he would find not his own monstrousness reflected back, but a reverence for life he couldn't understand. My favorite part of Heath's performance was that moment where his grandiose plan for the two ferries falls apart, because his absolute certainty that all people are as evil as him just isn't true. There's nothing less chaotic than certainty, and nothing more vulnerably to disillusionment. He lost all his power in that moment, and Heath played it perfectly.

One aspect to me that I feel is always overlooked is the particularity of the "LOOK AT ME" line. Ledger delivers the line in a more barrow tone voice than compared to the high pitched playful voice he used throughout the rest of the film. I think it's an indication to the fact that the character of "The Joker" himself, uses a comically high pitched voice to mask his real voice.

What makes his performance truly incredible is that it’s incredibly faithful while also being wholly original at the same time. You can tell he did his homework but wasn’t going to settle for a simple interpretation. He made it his own.

I absolutely hated the notion of Heath playing the Joker when I first heard it. His performance though was so captivating and creative, it blew my mind. I've watched this movie many times just fast-forwarding to his scenes, he's that good. I completely agree it's one of the best cinema performances ever.

*one year edit* I didn't realize how offended some people would get from this comment. Being accused of undervaluing Heaths performance is ludicrous. I, for one, believe it does him a disservice to think this aspect of the character was based on some prosthesis failure and not an intentional detail added by the actor. I really wish more people could appreciate this aspect of the character. The smacking of the lips and darting of the tongue is a condition known as tardive dyskinesia. This is a side effect of some antipsychotics, pointing at the fact that the joker has been treated for a psychosis at some point.

I was so furious about this decision at the time. After watching a million times over…I’m convinced it’s the single greatest performance I’ve ever watched.

I was 17 when this movie came out. I remember seeing posters for it at the theaters and thinking how dumb the name "The Dark Knight" sounded. I had no idea who Nolan was or that this was even a sequel to Batman Begins. I was at work, as it was summer time. Everyone at work was talking about it and we all made plans to go see it after work as a group. I completely forgot that I was watching an actor. I had to turn to my girlfriend at the time and ask her who was playing the Joker and she couldn't remember either. I wish I could recapture the feeling I had the first time I saw this amazing masterpiece.

I've always thought that the meat locker scene has a totally different energy than the rest of the movie. I never really thought too much about it, but finding out that it was shot and directed by Ledger (as the Joker) it all makes sense. I'd love to know just how much Ledger improved and how much of his input made it into production design (details of props, sets, costumes, etc). He had a real intuitive sense for film.

RIP Heath and thanks for one of the greatest acting performances in history

The scene where he’s hanging upside down and talking to Batman in the dark knight was so incredible. Amazing performance.

I remember the 'feeling' of seeing Heath appear in the 'I thought my jokes were bad' scene. I was gobsmacked and in awe all the way through that scene. I couldn't believe how good it was. His makeup and look was just mesmerising and I was just blown away. Ledger knocked this performance into the stratosphere, it was utterly flawless.

Its very rare to see a true 100% transformation but Heath Ledger pulled it off like an actor God.

You pointed out the predatory side of the character something extremely haunting. We’re too focus on the chaos that we neglected to observe the predator within. Kudos for excellent comments.

Ledger is definitely my favourite live action joker. He makes the joker SO much more villainous.

The finest acting performance I've ever seen in a comic book movie. Heath Ledger was utterly mesmerizing with his portrayal of the Joker, and richly deserved his (tragically posthumous) Oscar award. Gone but definitely not forgotten.

By far one of the greatest acting performances of all time. I remember before this came out everyone thought it was ridiculous Ledger was playing the Joker. Completely transformed himself in this part like you rarely see in a film. Redefined the comic book villain and movies are trying to recapture this performance to this day. Heck they even made a whole Joker movie trying to recapture the magic.

Fun fact: He licks his lips cause his prosthetic keeps falling off so he has to wet it. But that just adds more to this character

Respect to all the other actors(big or small roles), who still remained in character despite knowing the fact that Heath Ledger, as Joker, is doing or saying speeches and moves which aren't scripted. Like, they kept doing what they supposed to do as scripted even though knowing that the opposite actor is doing/saying stuffs which was never meant to be.. 👌❤️

the depths he went just to give us pure raw character is just phenomenal

"This town deserves a better class of criminal. And I'm going to give it to em" A shame his life was taken at only 27.

The end gave me chills. RIP Heath

His dedication to perfection is admirable. RIP Heath Ledger, you were one of the all time best.

I can't get enough of watching Heath Ledger's Joker. Definitely one of the best performances I've ever seen.

Awesome analysis for a great performance. I always saw Alex's behavior in Joker, that crazy and feeling of freedom while destroying someone else.

Everything was perfect in Heath's performance. From physical acting range to the vocal play, he truly gave his life for this role, literally, that was leaps and bounds from his past roles prior to this. The writing and direction also helped immensely, resulting in a well deserved universally beloved Joker iteration that set such a high bar for all that follow him

Heath Ledger’s performance stuck with me for months, I unintentionally have all the lines memorized from the pencil scene, he is my all time favorite villain in cinema. Also Heath did lick his lips a lot partly because every time he talked his scars would peel off, so they decided to add that to the character

I honestly never knew he improvised so much. Great video!

That observation about him dragging his eyes off gamble was bone chilling. You did am awesome job with this. +1sub

Amazing to see Heath's imaginative preparation for the role - Alex de Large, Tom Waits, hyenas.

I said it in another video, but the way that Ledger growls "look at me" was one of the most powerful cinematic experiences I've had. I watched it in the theater when it came out...and when he did that, the feel in the room.....changed. I don't know if it was because it was evocative of terrorist videos at the time or what, but people were laughing a little prior to that. But after? Tense, scared, silence.

Great video. Heath's version won't ever be touched, it was breathtaking. One of the all time great performances.

One of the aspects that I’ll always remember about this joker is how no strings attached he feels about everyone except Batman, and even then it’s more of him only respecting him. Despite laughing and tormenting people throughout the movie, he never once feels like he’s satisfied no matter what he does leaving you to wonder what he’ll try next to one up. He holds no grudges against anyone, only does what he does because it happens to throw the city into chaos further. They try to find identity to link him to anything on why he would do this, and he even gives two different stories on his scars, but he’s something above revenge at that point. He just picked his valuable targets because he knows that people would panic over them, relation to him be damned. He’s as uncaring, unpredictable, and brutally overbearing as a natural disaster and that’s what would make a scary villain.

superb actor. He would of brought so much more to the third film. RIP

A beautifully constructed video and conversation. Amazing how so many people keep coming back to Ledger's performance.

Ledger's rendition was brilliant on so many levels.... it is one of those rare cases where the actor so envelopes the character that it is no longer the actor but the actual character who is alive in context of the film. It reminds me of how awestruck I was at Kilmer's Doc Holiday and Day-Lewis portrayal of Lincoln. One of the finest acting performances I have ever seen.

This is quickly becoming one of my favorite channels on youtube. J.A.O.'s analysis/insights on whatever topic he covers is top notch. keep up the great work.

This analysis is exactly why he deserved awards and shows how incredible of an actor he would’ve became

The real tragedy is that Heath ledger died before he could know that he delivered one of the greatest performance in contemporary movie history.

I only wish we couldve seen more of him. RIP Heath. He deserved a long and good life

Heath Ledger delivered a cinematic performance of a lifetime!! Arguably cinema's greatest villain portrayal. 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾

I saw this in theaters and it blew me away. It was by far the best movie I have ever seen in theaters. No one can top this performance of the joker.

I still can't bring myself to watch this movie again because I was so disturbed by Heath Ledger's portrayal of the Joker... That essence of chaos featured in my dreams for weeks after. That's how powerful his performance was.

With most great performances I sometimes think there’s someone, somewhere out there that could’ve done as good of a job or maybe even better than the actual actor in the movie, but I truly believe there’s no one else that could’ve done this great of a job. He set the bar so high I don’t think we’ll ever see a better joker, not in this lifetime. He’s irreplaceable.

Excellent analysis of one of the finest performances of all time, R.I.P - Heath, a huge loss to the world 😢

This is by far the most in depth analysis of Ledgers performance in the Dark Knight. You've really knocked it out the park with how you've related many of the influences back to him. :)

When he yells look at me in the hostage video, it always gives me chills

Maggie Gyllenhall had never seen Heath in his makeup (unsure if this was by creative choice) before the fundraiser scene. They did it on the first take, and he freaked her out with his look, mannerisms and touching (which she didn’t really expect) to the point that she was actually unnerved. His acting was so great he actually pulled others up with him by forcing them to really react to his character instead of just “playing a part”.

R.I.P to Heath my god bless his soul his joker was perfect it was a fantastic performance that gave me chills knowing that he stayed in a room for a month shows how dedicated he was

Still can't wrap my mind around the fact that that is Heath Ledger. No, I can't match it. In the best and most chameleon type performances, you can still see the actor as he or she presents himself to the public, but here? Damn. Heath Ledger IS the greatest actor of all time and he was taken from us before the world would've inevitably realized it after a full career of his performances.

His Joker was what made me fall in love with character, with Batman, with comics as a whole. I was a kid when I watched the movie for the first time, and his terrifying but utterly fascinating performance was what pushed me towards the Batman stories, something that not even such great cartoons as Btas or JLU was able to do (I only got into and was able to fully appreciate them after getting "hooked up" onto Ledger's brilliant performance.

Heath Ledger's performance of this character made me a fan of the joker. Before his performance, the joker character didn't hold much weight with me. It was a, yeah ok, kind of attitude towards it. Very outstanding performance by Heath Ledger. Sad that he's no longer with us. Peace to him.

You see all kinds of praise for his performance, but this is a refreshing analyses of what made it so great.

Once again, fascinating video! What I always liked the most from the improvisations category is when he attends Bruce Wayne's fundraiser and goes through the appetizers. I love how he picks up the snack but only eats the tomato, not the shrimp. Next he picks up the champagne and throws it all away before drinking. It's such a small thing but it really emphasizes once again the characters contempt for luxury and wealth, while simutaneously showing of his unpredictability, love for chaos and rebellion against established conventions.

There are 2 performances to me that are the most incomparable in cinematic history. Both of these character's don't just play a roll from a script, they become the character, completely. The justify in their performances what the art of true acting is. Complete immersion of one's self not of script but of whom they portray. The first being Billy Bob Thornton in "Slingblade". First of all the fact that he wrote, directed and acted in this incredible movie is mind-boggling. Next, his complete immersion in Carl is breathtaking from the first scene. No makeup yet he was completely unrecognizable. His motion's, sounds, deep and intelligent responses, unintentional comedy and intense darkness. He is the outright definition of all humans...light and dark. The angel on one shoulder and devil on the other. The essence of a devastating childhood on a boy who already is in battle with his thought's. The complete outcome of what happens to the boy who becomes a man. An emotional and incredible cinematic journey. I thought it would never be beat. Then comes Heath Ledger as the "Joker". Every portrayal of the joker past, present and future will be compared to his. His portrayal wasn't so much a villain as a madman fed up with society from both end's of the spectrum. His brilliance of locking himself in his room to seize upon and create something new and brilliant out of something having been done in everyway since 1940 is no easy feat. Not only did his portrayal surpass all other's but it will always be the one eternally comparing all others to. There are no sufficient words to describe his role as Joker, none. What a loss.

I remember going to see this during the matinee, 10:30 in the morning during work. A friend and I were a bit late from lunch. Walking out of the theater I didn’t know how to feel and couldn’t grasp what I had just seen, it was so haunting. Hands down one of the best performances I have ever seen on a big screen

The "LOOK AT ME" line is one of the most memorable lines to me. Anytime I think of this movie, I immediately think of that line. His tone is so haunting and terrifying.

Never knew about the Tom Waits aspect of Ledgers take on Joker and holy crabapples was it similar to Waits in that interview.

I remember watching this the first time and remembering how i was most scared of him during this exact shot. He seemed really really messed up and "volatile". I was so impressed I had always noticed this one scene stick out completely from all other joker scenes. I always thought it was all Nolan who wrote every little detail

You hAve a great observation my friend. You have done the full postmortem of joker's role

The bit with the lip-smacking was purely practical; the prosthetic around his lips would start to feather and rather than go back to make up to have it reapplied, he merely licked it back down. It's a tribute to Ledgers skill that he made it part of Jokers schtick and have nobody notice it was to get a scene done more quickly and with less fuss! Interesting video, new perspective.

This channel is incredeble, most of my favorite youtube channels sometimes talk about stuff I don't enjoy very, but you talk about Sopranos, Breaking Bad, Godfather, and now THE DARK KNIGH, all stuff I love very much and are very close to my heart.

That ‘ look at me!! ‘ when I watched it for the first time had me a goosebumps. You know when you watching a horror movie and that scary ghost’s voice comes out ? That’s how scary ledger voice was

didn't think i could love ledgers joker anymore then i already did. he portrayed him so brilliantly which sadly led to his demise. your video was also brilliant in helping the audiance fully understand his chaos. keep it up!

I remember when I heard the Heath Ledger had been cast as Joker. To say I was skeptical is mild. I couldn't believe that Heath could pull it off because everything I'd seen him in before was so radically different. He was always the good-hearted pretty boy. When I saw the movie, I was absolutely blown away. It was the best portrayal of the Joker I had ever seen. I had never seen a villian with so much depth but had no redeeming qualities. He was like a wild animal yet was driven by a clear but perverse philosophy. I don't know if anyone would ever want to try to play the Joker again because Heath's portrayal was so powerful in how it redefined the character.

Thanks for your awesome analysis. You brilliantly explain what makes Heath Ledger one of Cinema's Greatest Actors. Who by his Memorable Performance, makes the Joker one of the Best Antagonist in Cinema.

this whole video and analysis of Ledger's performance made me appreciate him as an actor even more. Well done!

I was a teenage kid when i first saw the movie. My english wasn't that good to fully understand the dialogues but somehow Heath Ledger's performance felt so uniquely fascinating. Years later after re-watching the movie several times I started to grasp the real contribution he has given to this character.

your channel is becoming one of my favorites. i always look forward to whatever you have to put out. excellent stuff mate! you should do a video essay on travis bickle or an essay about comparing colonel kurtz to capt willard.

Great video. I've seen countless unpickings of Ledger's performance and yours opens up new angles I have not seen before 👏👏

Well done! Good music choice too. I always thought St. Saens' "Aquarium" was spooky yet beautiful.

That was *such* a magnetic performance by Heath. Whenever the Joker is on screen, everything about the performance just shouts, 'watch me and don't stop watching me'. It's just so engrossing and captivating. PS: one of my favourite little Joker moments in that film is when he's standing on top of the giant pile of cash and then he slides down it to meet the other characters on the ground. He slides down as a child would, with a kind of carefree reckless abandon. The style and motion in the way he does it shows that the Joker is having *fun.* He took on the mob and is taking over a city, but he's also playing, like a child does. He's relaxed to the point of it being psychologically strange (obviously fitting for the Joker).

Shoot, this makes me need to rewatch it NOW.

Great breakdown of his performance. I had no idea how much work he put into the role. And all the subtle things that made it great that I never realized. Truly one of the greatest acting performances I've ever seen

Heath Ledger, as Joker is and will alway be one of the best acting I have witnessed! PERIOD!!! The Joker is Heath!

It's important not to get too focused on any one actor's take on this character, brilliant though it may be. The fact is, if you look at Nicholson's campy, flamboyant Joker and Ledger's grim, nihilistic one, looking at the whole history, they're both totally true to the character.

Heath Ledger’s Joker performance is not only the best performance in this movie, it is the best performance I have ever seen!

Excellent observation and deducing the scenes perfectly! Keep up the good work! Real kudos to Heath's performance. There is a thin line between "Acting" and "Over-acting" which Heath never crossed with his splendid performance and that's what makes him the best performance of all time ❣

I wish Heath was still with us. Imagine the amazing work he would have continued to make. Such an amazing actor.

Another great analysis from our beloved YT movie channel. Great work. Expecting other great videos from you.

People who have had injuries like the joker has in The Dark Knight also lose some of their muscle use after they have healed. Which can cause the tongue to be more awkward to control when trying to speak.

I never get tired of looking at the different crazy scenes that he makes the joker a real character. I watch his eyes roll and slide to the side looking like he has no fear in the world, his mouth smacking and licking his lips like a restless child eating candy, to the head turning and bobbing and moving side to side like a jack in the box, Ledger is so deep in character that he is the Joker like we have never seen and wont see again in this total mesmerizing character. Greatest work Keith.

Great breakdown and thank you for your time working on this brother.

It blows my mind to know what it meant to get in the mind of the joker. What it took to get this far. 😨