The theme or plot of this film Dark Night is well known. Almost 20 years ago we had this film Batman with”joker" villain brought to fame by a famous actor Jack Nicholson.
The acting was so legendary, in 1989 that Mr. Nicholson got an Oscar award for his acting as or living this role "Joker”.In the film "Dark Knight”, the main villain character "Joker" had stolen the thunder. It is also true that an excellent make-up and very good dialogues of the Joker also helped the character to live life "king" size.
The villain’s action as "JOKER" is so impressive that again the same day, I have seen the film for a second time. You would not waste your time, by seeing this movie. You would appreciate the villain joker, you would appreciate some scenes like a bank robbery and you would very much appreciate the game between the Hero "Batman" who takes the onerous responsibility of cleaning the society of criminals particularly the "Joker" and the villain "Joker" himself , the "war" is now very personal.
The Joker would not be interested even in the money! He is only interested in excitement, the excitement that comes from killing "cops" or the police personnel. Anyone, absolutely anyone, who challenges a joker, is an enemy to the joker. And mind you he had his followers , the "gang" in the film but don’t you forget , at the same time , the "followers" , to find among the audience , including me. This brings in another side of Joker, which even the "Batman" appreciates, and finally when he gets an opportunity to kill "Joker" he would not kill and walks away.
The "Joker" robbed the bank, true, but when a time comes of “who is who" among the gang of criminals he would not claim all the money. Instead he sets fire to an entire pyramid of currency note bundles. Money is not as much important to him as is the excitement to kill anyone who challenges his claim that the city belonged to him. To live in the role of a clown or Joker may not be difficult. What made the Joker in this film so memorable so much that, I went in to see the movie again immediately after I saw it is that new mannerisms, new "attitudes" he adapted for this role is what makes it interesting.
So in a way, the Australian actor, Heath Ledger, actually re-invented the character Joker again, after the legendary actor Jack Nicholson had done it before, winning an Oscar. It is not a circus joker role nor a paper joker, drama troupe joker or the joker of the type of Charlie Chaplin. The joker here is ominous, with dangerous, malicious intentions and yet seems to be well educated, probably detached from greediness. The problem of the Joker is his intelligence, which he could not control, he became a psychopath. Lack of challenge in his life is one thing, and another is what Joker himself says in his characteristic style getting hold of his enemy the Batman’s lover,
"let me tell you one thing .....I would like to have a wife like you and with you several children ...”, thus goes on the joker’s character. Jack Nicholson, it is reported, had warned Heath Ledger, not to go too much into the character Joker because playing a psychopath would have its consequences, to get out of mental state of psychopath would be difficult.
But Heath Ledger had gone too much in to it, by going with the make-up on to his motel room in which he used to lock himself and rehearsal his role. After the filming was over, and post-production work was going on, the joker actor was found dead in his motel room. It was later found that this legendary actor was absent minded and took some an overdose of tablets by accident. This included sleeping pills as well. The "DARK NIGHT" is a 100% entertaining film. It has got an Oscar award this year for make-up
for the Joker.