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Most Valuable Performances: Heath Ledger


In many ways The Joker is much like Jaws. He is a force whose only intent is chaos. There is nothing to be gained, nothing wanted, only to destroy.

Dressed like a punk rocker that never grew up Ledger's Joker is the underbelly of society oft-ignored, but always present. He is the yin to Batman's yang. Gotham birthed this man, but ultimately he is a creation of The Dark Knight. The evils of society that drove Bruce Wayne to save the city drove The Joker to expose the hypocricies to the masses.

Between tics of flicking out his tongue to trace the scars that imprint his face this maniacal fiend aspires to be a leader to Gothamites. Sensing an opportunity to make that message abundantly clear he takes the shining D.A. Harvey Dent down to his level.

Arguably Heath Ledger's best performance, The Joker, represents the self-destructive, selfish nature of humanity. Each backstory he presents is one of loss, betrayal and ultimately, violence. His mind is one of optimism that eventually came crashing around him. Unable to deal with the consequences of pain his mind warps to become one of the greatest - or the greatest? - villains seen on film.

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