Joker

To be fair, it was an old theatre. The Palace in Lake Placid, NY probably opened to the first run of a Boris Karloff horror movie. Or maybe Lon Chaney. Whomever the lead, it was in black and white, with maybe a scratchy monaural audio track. Probably cost a nickel. The seats were so short of back that you couldn't slouch down and rest your head. when you crossed your leg a knee would hit the seat in front and, if there happened to be someone sitting there, bug the bejesus out of them. Despite all the quirks and shortcomings, the 4 o'clock matinee of The Dark Knight was a mere $5 and I needed to see it.

I was somewhat disappointed in the prior day's screening of Hellboy II and needed to see if (for once) all the hype surrounding Heath Ledgers rendition of the Joker could warrant the first posthumous Oscar since Peter Finch's Best Actor (Network) in 1976.

USA Today was giving it four stars, a rare stellar critique. It was directed by Christopher Nolan (Memento) and costarring Christian Bale (3:10 to Yuma), Aaron Eckhart (Thank you for Smoking) as well as a superb team of perfectly cast players, Gary Oldham, Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine and Maggie Gyllenhaal. And then there is Heath.

To say that his performance is transcendent, cheapens his efforts. To say that he singlehandedly dialed up the definition of character acting several degrees, understates his vision. To say that he steals every scene is not enough. He not only steals every scene, he swipes the set, absconds with the plot, heists the dialogue and literally rips off the entire narrative. When he is not on screen you are wondering where he is and what he is doing. Everything else is simply a set up. While hanging from a wire outside a sky scrapper matching moral wits with The Batman in the closing moments, we are given a moment of dialogue that sums up our monumental search for purity. The Joker is a social scientist merely showing society to itself (albeit in extreme ways) with The Batman (as he is now referred) admitting that his means PERHAPS no not equal his ways. And we are left with that question, wondering if there is such a thing as all-good, or all-bad, total evil or complete altruism. Or more importantly, which is right, true or just. This theme is brilliantly played out in a simultaneous cut away scene on explosive rigged ferry boats, bringing the conclusion to a nail-biting, heart-thumping, eye-popping, hair-raising climax. WHAM!

In the midst of all the morality, Nolan and Co. have packaged an action film that literally blows away anything that has come before. I sat riveted for the 2.5 hours, wanting the spectacle to continue until my eyes could take no more. I wanted to see what Heath could possible do to upstage his last scene. How would this end? Who would walk (limp, crawl or be dragged) away from whatever carnage lay destroyed, burning, smoking, crumbled? I was cheering for The Joker. Because Heath Ledger had created him so vivid. So marvelously bad. So scary. I was cheering for the actor, not his part. This is genius. Not many actors can upstage Jack Nicholson the thorough way that Heath did. Same character, same part. Totally different take. BLAM!

The Palace may have had Boris and Lon up on their screen in the past, but never will they see a performance quite like the one that Heath Ledger turned in yesterday.

Two closing thoughts: Parents: The Dark Knight is rated PG-13. This so misses it. There is no sexual content and not a lot of swearing. Big deal. There is enough violence, gore, and emotional mayhem to darken a immature mind with a thousand nightmares. IF YOUR KIDS ARE NOT ABLE TO DISCERN THE ACTOR FROM THE ACT, please go see Space Chimps.

And lastly, to the management of the Palace. When I confronted you with the question as to why the credits did not run after the close, you said the projectionist inadvertently shut it off when the lights came on. I will accept your response as truth, and as I told you, that is the best (only) answer you could have given, However,

TO NOT SEE HEATH LEDGERS NAME IN THE CREDITS AFTER ALL THAT HAS HAPPENED, IS CRIMINAL TO THE EXTENT THAT EVEN THE JOKER WOULD AGREE.