My favorite thing about Ledger's Joker is the fact that, no matter how "dark and gritty" he made the performance, he still always found places to be genuinely funny and goofy! And if anything, it made all the scary bits even scarier, because you genuinely never know when he's gonna crack a joke and when he's gonna slit your throat - which is exactly what the joker should be. Wonderful reaction! :)
Disagree. I'm a minority of course, but Heath's Joker was shit. But that's cause I realized he isn't playing Joker, he's literally being the character Anarky, that's what they should have done, Heath was a perfect Anarky. Cause the character he played was absolutely NOT Joker.
The way Heath made this joker is AMAZING! When I think of the Joker, I imagine him exactly as he is in this movie. Sinister, crazy, funny, sporadic lines going back & forth between calm & in control, to insanity. I’ve never heard of anyone not liking this Joker. This is my favorite superhero movie of all time.
I believe that Ledger absolutely embodies everything we know about Joker from the comics, from the animated shows and from all of the past performances of Joker combined. Ledger nailed Joker just flawlessly in this movie.
Fun fact: The original joker video he made was completely different, it was in a red light room and a lot more sinister. But Heath didn’t like it and felt it was too dramatic and organised, so he wanted it in a butchers freezer, lights on and more manic👌🏽 Needless to say, much better turnout.
I read an interview with Nolan from back around Oscars time for The Dark Knight, and Nolan said Heath also directed the reshoot himself. "Heath Ledger directed both homemade videos that the Joker sends to GCN himself. The first video involving the fake Batman, was done under Christopher Nolan's supervision. Nolan thought Ledger had done so well with that sequence, he felt there was no need for him to be there when it came time to film the scene where reporter Mike Engel reads the Joker's statement. He put his trust in Ledger and let him do whatever he wanted, ultimately pleased with the result, after he'd seen the outcome" I always thought those bits of film had a much more cutting malevolence, especially with Ledgers, "Look at me!!" Every time I hear that voice switch I go cold
@heffatheanimal2200 That's a cool detail. I watched an interview with Michael jai white too where he said that heath switched between joker and himself so quick it was unnerving. When he was heath all he did was go around and ask people what they thought of an aspect of his character. Michael said he felt honoured that he actually wanted and took advice and input👌🏽
@@sladewilson9718 Yeesss! I saw that one too 😊 So many praises of Ledger's style, character and professionalism from others, even before his passing. Hearing Jake Gyllenhaal or Julia Styles talk about him is so damn interesting. So damn epic 💜
Always remember that he self-deleted (on purpose or by accident) ... because his wife wasnt there for him and took away their child. When you method-act such a character ... this kind of betrayal can give you the rest.
I am 100% convinced that, consistent with Joker’s M.O., if someone on one of the boats had actually triggered the detonator, it would have blown up their own boat, not the other one. He would have loved that. RIP Mr. Ledger, a performance that will never be matched. Terrifying. “LOOK. AT. ME!” gives me chills every time.
I always thought it would blow up both boats. It makes sense for his sense from his brand of humor, he said it would blow up the other boat but he didn't say their boat would be safe, and it fits in with the idea that the only way to beat the Joker's games is not to play. Plus when Joker goes to blow up the boats himself he only has one detonator, which implies both bombs are programmed to blow up as soon as any detonator is triggered.
I disagree. Joker is trying to show that, deep down, everyone is self-serving. Making them blow up the other boat would prove that to the whole world, especially since the media would be all over the survivors afterwards. Also, since he's already declared what he would do on TV, breaking his word would make people question his true intent if he tried a similar stunt in the future, thus making it harder to manipulate them.
@@lazykbys True but what would show that people are self serving more, a group of survivor's that had to unfortunately sacrifice another group of people to survive or the police reports that would've come out that the people on the boats essentially killed themselves and the other boat because of their fear and panic. Plus there's no indication that he had no means of spreading what happened afterwards by himself. Joker in the movie seems to always have plans for each eventuality and it would've be hard for him to leak the recording he put on the boats and the designs for the bombs to the news outlets or just online or some other way for everyone to know what could've been his intent.
You know, in that moment, Joker won. He was gonna die, but made Batman break his rule; that's why he laughs. Of course he is also crazy and Batman ended up saving him anyway, but the point stands.
Heath ledger improvised a lot of his scene with Rachel and the knife which is why the actress looked so uncomfortable because that was her reacting in real time
@@TexArizocan They played two very different Jokers that each turned out great, respectively. I still prefer Heath Ledger's Joker, as I personally believe no one will ever surpass him, but Joaquin is pretty damn close to his level.
Those of us who knew the Batman Rogues Gallery were well aware that Harvey Dent was going to become Two-Face before we saw this. So it's interesting seeing someone who wasn't aware of that fact to watch that transformation.
Knowing the source material for a movie/show is a double-edged sword. In sometimes you get more enjoyment and sometimes it can hurt. For example, some people convinced themselves the _WandaVision_ tv show was going to have certain characters and pieces from related comics and then were upset when it didn't (but of course show was its own thing and never promised to include those elements). Granted, it would have been weird if _The Dark Knight_ had focused so much on Harvey Dent and then *not* involved Two-Face.
@@theadamabramsWell since the dark knight series is, well, a series, it would have been entirely believable that Harvey Dent would become Two Face in the next movie
@@AlexPBenton almost a shame they hedged on Joker coming back and killed off Dent. I would have liked a third film with him at the center. Wasn't a big fan of the last one
The scene where Lucius gives the phone to Bruce is the perfect example of Lucius knowing, but never admitting. Bruce is definitely thinking that the sonar works "just like a bat", but Lucius interrupts with "just like a submarine".
Heath's Joker is the most quotable villain since Darth Vader. Almost every conversation can be brought back to a Joker quote from this movie. My friends and I have been doing that for years.
What I love is how spectacularly much of a planner the Joker is. He even has a written speech at one point. Everything he does wouldn’t just require some planning, it would require intense planning and foresight. Hell, I wouldn’t put it past him knowing the table that the mobsters were using at the beginning was a cheap enough material for him to stab a pencil upright into. There’s some decent theories he was a soldier in this version of him too - his familiarity with different firearms, his ability to pass himself off with uniform dress standards and formation, his face is missing from any public system, his reference to soldiers being blown up. Personally, I just think he’s very observant and obsessive when it comes to what he needs in a plan.
Fun fact, sky hook was a real life thing. The real one is called the Fulton surface-to-air recovery system (STARS) and it was developed in the 50's for the CIA. The first operation use was in 1962 and the last declassified use was in the 90's. I like that they snuck it in here.
The Joker has always been one of the most iconic villians of all time but Heath Ledgers portrayal of him has got to be some of the greatest acting ever! R.I.P to a legend
If I were on one of those boats and I’d been watching the news about the Joker, I wouldn’t be so confident that the detonator wasn’t to our boat. I get that the Joker is trying to prove that people are ruthless at their core, when it comes to survival, so I don’t know if he’d punish people for being “cruel” to the other boat by saving themselves, but his whole deal is that you don’t know what he’s up to.
Even though he's definitely trying to mind fuck Harvey, when Joker replies "do I really look like a guy with a plan?" and for the most part whenever he uses "plan" he's juxtaposing plan with goal. Because he obviously makes plans, but what he doesn't have is any clear goal beyond chaos. What he describes follows a lot better if you look at it like that (especially "you had plans, and look where that got you"). But he obviously has plans. Plans on top of plans. But he's gonna roll with whatever the outcome is to come up with the next plan to sow chaos.
But that’s the whole point that you’re missing. Joker IS talking about plans and it shows how much of a hypocrite he really is. It’s the same mindset of him constantly giving different versions of his origin story. You can’t trust a single word that comes out of his mouth, and that’s the point.
I’m a fan of the theory that the detonators on the ferries at the end were for the boats they were on. The joker’s point seems to be anyone could become me, and, your choices don’t matter. If they pressed a detonator I believe they would blow themselves up
You mentioned that this seemed more of a Joker movie than a Batman movie. It's a testament to Heath Ledger's performance - he only had ~30 min screen time in a movie with a 2hr 32min run time.
Since no one else seemed to have mentioned it... In the hospital scene with Harvey and joker, when harvey is holding the gun to the jokers head, and "leaving it up to chance" if he kills him. The joker has his fingers holdijg the hammer the whole time. The gun would have never gone off even if the coin went the wrong way. Great subtle detail. The joker isnt what he seems to be
17:41 - in this scene when the Joker shows up, Michael Caine (Alfred) had a line in the script. However, he was so caught off guard by Heath Ledger's entrance and performance that he forgot to say anything, and the team kept rolling.
What I love about the copycat Batman that The Joker murders and then makes a video about is that even as terrified as that quote unquote "ordinary man" is, he still has it in him to stay true to his ideals and declare that "Batman" represents not being afraid of the monsters that hide in the dark. And shows a tiny crack in The Joker's philosophy because as he says "When people are in their final moments they reveal who they really are." And in that ordinary man's final moments he remained loyal to his ideals and the idea that the ordinary individual still has a heart to not devolve into insane monsters or faceless cowards driven by self-preservation. Also he causes The Joker to be genuinely angry cause he doesn't like what he hears and The Joker immediately ups the aggression not in the usual manner. Like he's actually really upset that this nobody managed to get under his skin.
Thanks, Oscar! 🦇 The director Christopher Nolan does what he does very well. It is so unfortunate that Mr. Ledger is no longer in the earthly realm, but we are all very fortunate that his performances will continue to inform and entertain us.
Heath is my favorite actor of all time, Literally im just binge watching The Dark Knight, Brokeback Mountain and 10 things I hate about you yesterday and here you are posting some heath content...I miss him so much
Excellent, informed, subtle and entertaining review. It’s hard, as you said, to say anything new about this movie but you rose to the challenge. Great job!
Yeah, they recast Rachel for this movie, and though no official reason was given, many assume it's due to the fact that the original actress - Katie Holmes - was dating Tom Cruise when Batman Begins came out. It was at that time that Cruise was acting very bizarre and doing things like jumping on Oprah's couch and giving contentious interviews about Scientology. Many believe that the movie studio wasn't thrilled with the unusual attention Holmes was attracting with her relationship with Cruise, so they opted not to bring her back for The Dark Knight.
Yeah it’s funny, whenever I see Katie Holmes the first things I think of are “she dated Tom cruise right?” And “Oh yeah she was the original Rachel” lmao
@@crispy_338 She also married Tom Cruise, and had to get her lawyer dad's help with an exit strategy from the marriage so Cruise wouldn't abduct their daughter and keep her in Scientology. Katie was being monitored by Scientology and had to be very careful about it.
I seem to remember that the official reason was that she wanted to do other things (whether that's the case or not is anyone's guess). Either way, Maggie Gyllenhaal was a major step up. Katie seemed out of place in Batman Begins.
lol, if you actually believe that then you're severely lacking in taste. The reason that they killed off the character is because Gyllenhaal is a WAY worse version of the character and had ZERO chemistry with Bale. The reason Katie wasn't in this one was BECAUSE of the controlling nature of Cruise, the studio didn't decide, and neither did she because she lost out on a LOT of other projects when she was with him.@@melanie62954
“They don’t have access to the comics, they have no prep” I laughed so fucking hard because you can’t tell me that’s something Deadpool wouldn’t say😭😭😭
What I love is that this is arguably one of the top 5 movies ever made, and it just so happens to be about a superhero. This movie truly paved the way for superhero movies to be taken seriously, which Marvel absolutely profited from.
8:17 is the BEST reaction I’ve ever seen! Oscar you are amazing man! Keep up the awesome work & thank you so much for all the entertainment & support you provide for us fans!
Heath Ledgers performance always reminds me of the saying "horror is comedy without the punchline". So much of what he says or does, or how he says or does it, would actually be funny if it wasn't constantly being used to show how confident the Joker is. If his plans weren't actually working, if he didn't become the archnemesis of The Batman within a few weeks, he would just be another clown. but instead it constantly elevates the tension, raises more questions than it answers and shows of his power in dangerous ways. Seriously well written.
First, Heath Ledger is the only actor in history to play the joker right. In the scene with him and Maggie Gyllenhaal, in the penthouse, she had nt seen him in character before, and he improvised, grabbing her by the face. She's not acting there. She's actually terrified.
17:57 "He's such a goofball!" Yep, that's why I love him. The fact that Heath was able to pull off such a menacing, terrifying character while making him genuinely fun and entertaining to watch is incredible. Also, Harvey Dent's actor was Aaron Eckhart. He was amazing as well-I feel kinda bad for him because Heath totally stole the show and he doesn't get nearly as much attention. 😅
Such a great point about the soldier on the boat not deciding without intel, never thought about it before and I basically have this movie memorised because I love it so much 😂
This movie is legendary its really a masterpiece. So many iconic moments, quotes. So many improvised scenes from Ledger, an incredible practical stunt: actually flipping an entire truck, blowing up a real hospital with an iconic improvised scene. Truly legendary and will never be forgotten.
You best believe I dropped everything to watch your reaction for one of the best Batman films. I absolutely love your reactions and enjoyed this movie even more despite having seen it so many times over. I can’t wait to see what else you have in store for your channel. 👏🏻
Hey there, new subscriber here! After your reaction to Batman Begins. I don’t typically leave comments, but I just had to say what an awesome reaction this was. You managed to keep pretty much every detail of the movie I’d like someone to see in the video, and your level of tracking the small details in the movie was excellent. I just wanted to say it was a pleasure to watch and thank you for the content. Cheers
Yeah I think he’s a fantastic reactor. Only shame is I haven’t really f with a lot of the movies and shows on the channel but that’s just my taste. At the end of Batman begins he made the observation that he hadn’t felt like this watching a film for quite some time. Out of interest I went back to see what was the last reaction in the channel that I watched and it was Godfather 2 several months earlier. Speaks volumes really but I don’t mind waiting for quality when it comes around.
Although the Joker's plan are ludicrously complicated and should not realistically work as well as they do, this is still an amazing movie. 🦇 45:85 That's something this movie does incredibly well: putting in small moments that turn out to be significant later. You caught several that people often miss (like Ramirez saying her mom is in the hospital near the very start), but I'm sure you'd find more on rewatch. 23:52 For most of this scene, half of Dent's face is in shadow. 19:04 When Joker says "take off your mask", Rachel stares at Bruce and shakes her head for "no". 27:00 SLAUGHTER as in manslaughter or butchering. 27:29 That's the "rampless jump" Fox talked about in the first Tumbler scene in _Batman Begins._
HI OSCAR ❤ found your channel last year and just wanna say it has brought such joy and happiness to my life and I can’t wait to see all the great things you watch next!! keep being yourself❤
I don't think the other bus drivers were paid off, I think he timed it with the morning or afternoon school route. Usually near a larger school there are a few roads clogged up with buses coming and going like that until they all turn off and start to disperse.
I'm sure u've been told already, but the scene at the hospital blowing up and him stopping, as well as the clapping to Gordon, were improv by Ledger. Such a genius performance
Fun fact, in the ballroom scene with Rachel and the joker that was the actress who played Rachel's first time seeing heath in makeup and acting like that and heath improvised ALOT so she was truly fearful in that scene and it shows
Fun fact, when joker grabs Rachel she tries to look away, towards the director to see if its ok and Alfred/Micheal Cane forgot his lines when joker walked in
In one of the comics Joker was asked why he is always lying about his backstory. His response was: "I've made up so many of them I can't even remember which one is real anymore".
But you're not talking about the killing joke right ? Because that quote goes " sometimes i remember it one way sometimes another, if I'm going to have a past i prefer it to be multiple choice "
The hospital explosion was perfect because it was meant to be bigger straight away but the explosion didnt work properly, thats why he looked so surprised trying to get it to work
Can you react to "Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron"? It's a story about a strong, beautiful horse with a spirit that can never be broken. I cry every time i watch it! It's a INCREDIBLE film, and the songs are so cool! But it's not a musical and the animals can't talk. 😭💔🔥
Here is a fun fact, this film was added by the United State’s Library of Congress to their National Film Registry in 2020 for preservation. The only criteria is that the film has to be culturally, historically or aesthetically significant and be out for at least 10 years. I’d say that’s pretty amazing for a film released in 2008 😊
Another fun fact, the old man who the Joker threatens at the Party, saying he reminds him of his father and I hate my father while grabbing him, is longtime Vermont senator Patrick Leahy here in the USA who retired from his seat in 2023. He is a big Batman fan and made cameo appearances in several Batman films. From what I read, he donates all the money he makes from his roles to charities, most going to a library in his state where he learned to read as a child 😊
18:28 Maggie Gyllenhaal was actually terrified of Heath Ledger when filming this scene, partly becauseof how off the rails he was on set and partly due to how close and intense he was with her. So, yeah.
In the hospital, when Harvey holds the gun to Jokers head. Jokers holds his finger on the hammer, so even if Hervey puls the trigger, the gun wont fire.
i first watched this movie uniquely for Heath’s oscar winning performance as the joker….. then while watching, i realized this filmmaking is fantastic. Chris Nolan is fantastic btw, rachel (maggie gyllenhaal) wasn’t acting during the party. chris nolan was the only one who knew heath was gonna be on scene, NOBODY, nor rachel nor any of the extras had seen heath in makeup and they hadn’t rehearsed that, and he actually intimidated everyone on set; maggie actually peeks over at chris for them to cut the shot, but it kept on going
I never noticed it until I had watched the movie a hundred times, but Bruce’s comment “One fundraiser with my friends, you’ll never need another cent” wasn’t just him being nice or playing the extravagant billionaire. Basically what Bruce was saying is that he approved of Harvey, and the fundraiser was to set Harvey up with a fortune to be able to take care of himself. That way, Harvey could never be bought off by the underworld. Bruce was cutting off an avenue of corruption so Harvey would never have to deal with it.
Maggie Gyllenhaal (Rachel) had never seen Heath Ledger in his Joker makeup until the party scene. She was genuinely freaked out during their scene. For that matter Michael Caine was also freaked out, for the same reason.
The ship-bombs are definitely a variation of the "Prisoner's Dilemma". The best action for both parties is to NOT do it (not confess), but if either does it (confess), the other gets the whole punishment...
There is so many things I lov about the Dark Knight series, I love that Batman has a gravely voice I love how he fights, I was very apprehensive when I heard Heath Ledger was gonna play the Joker but after watching this movie he was the best thing about the movie even outshining Batman, it's such a shame that Heath got so into the part that he died afterwards, such a shame, I also loved the soundtrack again done by Hans Zimmer.
36:16 - this was ACTUAL money it was being sent to the recycle centre or where ever old bills go, but the studio asked if they could burn it for a scene it the movie 39:15 - they delay timer on the explosive tripped out for a few seconds and nobody knew it, what Heath is doing here is pure him off script,also, the "hospital" was actually a de-commissioned building due for demolition, so as you can imagine, a few words here and there, as well as a little money and, it's made it's explosive exit on the big screen
39:25 I heard the reaction to the bombs taking time to blow up was genuine like he was actually wondering why its not working and they liked it so it was kept in the movie
Nice. Single greatest comic book movie of all time. And I'm a Marvel guy... Ledger's Oscar winning performance still makes me cry every time I see it. Masterful.
I don't see any mention of it but a fun fact is When Joker walks out of the hospital, and the explosions stop, that was Heath improvising his reactions as that pause wasn't planned haha, it was supposed to just keep exploding as he walked out
You should check out Heath's last film, The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus. One of Andrew Garfield's first movies. Johnny Depp, Jude Law, and Colin Farrell helped fill in for the role to complete it.
In the Batman lore, Harvey Dent and Bruce were good friends who both wanted Gotham cleaned up. Sadly Harvey had his issues and an accident twisted him into becoming Two-Face....Half good old Harvey....have Two-Face. I hope you watch the Animated Series cause my goodness it's amazing.
"Accident"... Originally (before the reboots and whatnot started happening later on), a mobster deliberately threw acid in his face, triggering him to become Two-Face - which started him obsessing about coin flipping, innosence/guilt, and binary outcomes in general. :)
My favorite thing about Ledger's Joker is the fact that, no matter how "dark and gritty" he made the performance, he still always found places to be genuinely funny and goofy! And if anything, it made all the scary bits even scarier, because you genuinely never know when he's gonna crack a joke and when he's gonna slit your throat - which is exactly what the joker should be. Wonderful reaction! :)
Precisely. Despite all his amazing lines and behaviour in this, my favourite line is when driving the truck he says "I like this job". Genius.
Disagree. I'm a minority of course, but Heath's Joker was shit. But that's cause I realized he isn't playing Joker, he's literally being the character Anarky, that's what they should have done, Heath was a perfect Anarky. Cause the character he played was absolutely NOT Joker.
Yeah, you're absolutely the arbiter of what does and doesn't count as Joker. 🙄 @@ItApproaches
The way Heath made this joker is AMAZING! When I think of the Joker, I imagine him exactly as he is in this movie. Sinister, crazy, funny, sporadic lines going back & forth between calm & in control, to insanity. I’ve never heard of anyone not liking this Joker. This is my favorite superhero movie of all time.
I believe that Ledger absolutely embodies everything we know about Joker from the comics, from the animated shows and from all of the past performances of Joker combined. Ledger nailed Joker just flawlessly in this movie.
Fun fact: The original joker video he made was completely different, it was in a red light room and a lot more sinister. But Heath didn’t like it and felt it was too dramatic and organised, so he wanted it in a butchers freezer, lights on and more manic👌🏽 Needless to say, much better turnout.
I read an interview with Nolan from back around Oscars time for The Dark Knight, and Nolan said Heath also directed the reshoot himself.
"Heath Ledger directed both homemade videos that the Joker sends to GCN himself. The first video involving the fake Batman, was done under Christopher Nolan's supervision. Nolan thought Ledger had done so well with that sequence, he felt there was no need for him to be there when it came time to film the scene where reporter Mike Engel reads the Joker's statement. He put his trust in Ledger and let him do whatever he wanted, ultimately pleased with the result, after he'd seen the outcome"
I always thought those bits of film had a much more cutting malevolence, especially with Ledgers, "Look at me!!" Every time I hear that voice switch I go cold
@heffatheanimal2200 That's a cool detail. I watched an interview with Michael jai white too where he said that heath switched between joker and himself so quick it was unnerving. When he was heath all he did was go around and ask people what they thought of an aspect of his character. Michael said he felt honoured that he actually wanted and took advice and input👌🏽
@@sladewilson9718 Yeesss! I saw that one too 😊 So many praises of Ledger's style, character and professionalism from others, even before his passing. Hearing Jake Gyllenhaal or Julia Styles talk about him is so damn interesting. So damn epic 💜
BEST BATMAN MOVIE EVER MADE!
RIP, Heath Ledger.
I haven't seen the newer Batman movies, but hell yeah!!
@@dennislittau6320 they don’t even come close to the Chris Nolan ones.
Always remember that he self-deleted (on purpose or by accident) ... because his wife wasnt there for him and took away their child. When you method-act such a character ... this kind of betrayal can give you the rest.
RIP!
@@Muck006we don’t know what happened but if he actually became a danger to your child, I think it would be pretty fair to leave him to keep them safe…
I am 100% convinced that, consistent with Joker’s M.O., if someone on one of the boats had actually triggered the detonator, it would have blown up their own boat, not the other one. He would have loved that. RIP Mr. Ledger, a performance that will never be matched. Terrifying. “LOOK. AT. ME!” gives me chills every time.
Same. The more time you spend around someone's sense of humor.... the more you can predict what kind of jokes you're gonna get... lol.
Nailed it.. -- Pretty much exactly what would have happened.. Why? Because it's funny....
I always thought it would blow up both boats. It makes sense for his sense from his brand of humor, he said it would blow up the other boat but he didn't say their boat would be safe, and it fits in with the idea that the only way to beat the Joker's games is not to play. Plus when Joker goes to blow up the boats himself he only has one detonator, which implies both bombs are programmed to blow up as soon as any detonator is triggered.
I disagree. Joker is trying to show that, deep down, everyone is self-serving. Making them blow up the other boat would prove that to the whole world, especially since the media would be all over the survivors afterwards. Also, since he's already declared what he would do on TV, breaking his word would make people question his true intent if he tried a similar stunt in the future, thus making it harder to manipulate them.
@@lazykbys True but what would show that people are self serving more, a group of survivor's that had to unfortunately sacrifice another group of people to survive or the police reports that would've come out that the people on the boats essentially killed themselves and the other boat because of their fear and panic. Plus there's no indication that he had no means of spreading what happened afterwards by himself. Joker in the movie seems to always have plans for each eventuality and it would've be hard for him to leak the recording he put on the boats and the designs for the bombs to the news outlets or just online or some other way for everyone to know what could've been his intent.
I like how the Joker was laughing as he fell from the building. It’s like he said, people show who they are near the end.
YES
You know, in that moment, Joker won. He was gonna die, but made Batman break his rule; that's why he laughs.
Of course he is also crazy and Batman ended up saving him anyway, but the point stands.
They saved Joker because they wanted him for the third movie.
Of course, that idea didn’t work out.
😟
@@robbob5302 sure, but they managed to write it in a way that is very in character for the Joker, that's what's really important.
The “Wanna see a magic trick” disappearing pencil scene had the entire theater ROLLING, it was so unexpectedly funny.
And then John Wick upped it to 3 men with one pencil 😂❤
ROFL
Heath ledger improvised a lot of his scene with Rachel and the knife which is why the actress looked so uncomfortable because that was her reacting in real time
That's the only scene I have a problem with. I prefer Joker Asexual. Any attraction to women or men, undermine his true love... Chaos.
harley quinn? @@spencernaugle
I also believe that scene, was the first time she saw Heath with his makeup on. Which only increased the reaction from the situation
@@illusionlb He treats her like property. He does not love her. If you mess with my property I'll get angry, but I don't love it.
@@spencernaugle true he did treat her like property but he was still sexually active with her. He isn't asexual in the comics, he just doesn't love.
Heath Ledger truly scared me as the Joker. He created an enduring performance that still holds to this day
look at me, LOOK AT ME
Ledger did an amazing job, but Joaquin Phoenix I think did an amazing job as well, imo
@@TexArizocan They played two very different Jokers that each turned out great, respectively. I still prefer Heath Ledger's Joker, as I personally believe no one will ever surpass him, but Joaquin is pretty damn close to his level.
yup
Heath Ledger was simply magnificent and iconic as the psychotic Joker. He absolutely earned that posthumous Academy Award. RIP 1979 - 2008.
"This is the guy your girlfriend tells you not to worry about" FACTS LOL 😆😂🤣
Those of us who knew the Batman Rogues Gallery were well aware that Harvey Dent was going to become Two-Face before we saw this. So it's interesting seeing someone who wasn't aware of that fact to watch that transformation.
Knowing the source material for a movie/show is a double-edged sword. In sometimes you get more enjoyment and sometimes it can hurt. For example, some people convinced themselves the _WandaVision_ tv show was going to have certain characters and pieces from related comics and then were upset when it didn't (but of course show was its own thing and never promised to include those elements). Granted, it would have been weird if _The Dark Knight_ had focused so much on Harvey Dent and then *not* involved Two-Face.
@@theadamabramsWell since the dark knight series is, well, a series, it would have been entirely believable that Harvey Dent would become Two Face in the next movie
@@AlexPBenton almost a shame they hedged on Joker coming back and killed off Dent. I would have liked a third film with him at the center. Wasn't a big fan of the last one
I was one of those people - Harvey’s downfall absolutely broke me.
The scene where Lucius gives the phone to Bruce is the perfect example of Lucius knowing, but never admitting.
Bruce is definitely thinking that the sonar works "just like a bat", but Lucius interrupts with "just like a submarine".
Heath's Joker is the most quotable villain since Darth Vader. Almost every conversation can be brought back to a Joker quote from this movie. My friends and I have been doing that for years.
What I love is how spectacularly much of a planner the Joker is. He even has a written speech at one point. Everything he does wouldn’t just require some planning, it would require intense planning and foresight. Hell, I wouldn’t put it past him knowing the table that the mobsters were using at the beginning was a cheap enough material for him to stab a pencil upright into.
There’s some decent theories he was a soldier in this version of him too - his familiarity with different firearms, his ability to pass himself off with uniform dress standards and formation, his face is missing from any public system, his reference to soldiers being blown up.
Personally, I just think he’s very observant and obsessive when it comes to what he needs in a plan.
Fun fact, sky hook was a real life thing. The real one is called the Fulton surface-to-air recovery system (STARS) and it was developed in the 50's for the CIA. The first operation use was in 1962 and the last declassified use was in the 90's. I like that they snuck it in here.
The sound editors did a fun trick with the "Bat-cycle." You never hear it downshift. The engine just keeps revving UP.
That was one of my favorites details, too, so I looked that up a while back - it's called a Shepherd tone or Shepherd scale.
Ledger was genius in this. But I love anything with Gary Oldman. His early work is amazing and it never stopped.
Agreed. Oldman is superb here and I've loved him in everything he's ever done.
40:35 "This really is the 'dark night' before the dawn, isn't it." You know, I never got that before.
The Joker has always been one of the most iconic villians of all time but Heath Ledgers portrayal of him has got to be some of the greatest acting ever! R.I.P to a legend
I always laugh at that part too, when Batman says “let her go.” And the joker, “very poor choice of words.” I honestly thought the same thing 😂
If I were on one of those boats and I’d been watching the news about the Joker, I wouldn’t be so confident that the detonator wasn’t to our boat. I get that the Joker is trying to prove that people are ruthless at their core, when it comes to survival, so I don’t know if he’d punish people for being “cruel” to the other boat by saving themselves, but his whole deal is that you don’t know what he’s up to.
I have to admit I chuckled at the "so much conviction" comment over the shot of the prisoners in the ferry.
lol
15:22 his “LOOK AT ME!!” scared the shit out of us in the theaters. Everyone jumped and went dead silent. You could hear a pin drop in there.
I like how at the party, nobody reacts to Batman just standing there until he punches The Joker
Because he's Batman.
That scene in the hospital, when Joker stops to see the explosion was improvised by Ledger. He was a GENIUS in this role!
That’s a myth, it was debunked by Chris Nolan himself.
Even though he's definitely trying to mind fuck Harvey, when Joker replies "do I really look like a guy with a plan?" and for the most part whenever he uses "plan" he's juxtaposing plan with goal. Because he obviously makes plans, but what he doesn't have is any clear goal beyond chaos. What he describes follows a lot better if you look at it like that (especially "you had plans, and look where that got you").
But he obviously has plans. Plans on top of plans. But he's gonna roll with whatever the outcome is to come up with the next plan to sow chaos.
But that’s the whole point that you’re missing. Joker IS talking about plans and it shows how much of a hypocrite he really is. It’s the same mindset of him constantly giving different versions of his origin story. You can’t trust a single word that comes out of his mouth, and that’s the point.
The scene at 18:36 (the event scene between The Joker and Rachel), it's actually Maggie Gyllenhaal's real and first reaction for Heath Ledger's Joker.
I’m a fan of the theory that the detonators on the ferries at the end were for the boats they were on. The joker’s point seems to be anyone could become me, and, your choices don’t matter. If they pressed a detonator I believe they would blow themselves up
agreed
You mentioned that this seemed more of a Joker movie than a Batman movie. It's a testament to Heath Ledger's performance - he only had ~30 min screen time in a movie with a 2hr 32min run time.
Since no one else seemed to have mentioned it... In the hospital scene with Harvey and joker, when harvey is holding the gun to the jokers head, and "leaving it up to chance" if he kills him. The joker has his fingers holdijg the hammer the whole time. The gun would have never gone off even if the coin went the wrong way. Great subtle detail. The joker isnt what he seems to be
17:41 - in this scene when the Joker shows up, Michael Caine (Alfred) had a line in the script. However, he was so caught off guard by Heath Ledger's entrance and performance that he forgot to say anything, and the team kept rolling.
What I love about the copycat Batman that The Joker murders and then makes a video about is that even as terrified as that quote unquote "ordinary man" is, he still has it in him to stay true to his ideals and declare that "Batman" represents not being afraid of the monsters that hide in the dark. And shows a tiny crack in The Joker's philosophy because as he says "When people are in their final moments they reveal who they really are." And in that ordinary man's final moments he remained loyal to his ideals and the idea that the ordinary individual still has a heart to not devolve into insane monsters or faceless cowards driven by self-preservation.
Also he causes The Joker to be genuinely angry cause he doesn't like what he hears and The Joker immediately ups the aggression not in the usual manner. Like he's actually really upset that this nobody managed to get under his skin.
Thanks, Oscar! 🦇 The director Christopher Nolan does what he does very well. It is so unfortunate that Mr. Ledger is no longer in the earthly realm, but we are all very fortunate that his performances will continue to inform and entertain us.
C.Nolan is the best
@@lovebug2424 It's true, Rey! 🥂
Heath is my favorite actor of all time, Literally im just binge watching The Dark Knight, Brokeback Mountain and 10 things I hate about you yesterday and here you are posting some heath content...I miss him so much
My two favorite movies that Heath Ledger starred in. The Dark Knight and A Knight's Tale which if you haven't watched is also worth reacting to.
I know it’s a teen film, but 10 Things I Hate About You also ranks!
Haha both classics but for very very different reasons
Fun fact, Bruce Wayne was driving the Lamborghini Murcielago in that crash scene and Murcielago means Bat in Spanish!
Batman wouldn't get caught disappearing, he just uses it to his advantage and says something snarky before batclawing out of there lol
I love your phrase: “No wonder why he’s after him, they want the same thing, only without the mask” Marks the point.
Excellent, informed, subtle and entertaining review. It’s hard, as you said, to say anything new about this movie but you rose to the challenge. Great job!
Yeah, they recast Rachel for this movie, and though no official reason was given, many assume it's due to the fact that the original actress - Katie Holmes - was dating Tom Cruise when Batman Begins came out. It was at that time that Cruise was acting very bizarre and doing things like jumping on Oprah's couch and giving contentious interviews about Scientology. Many believe that the movie studio wasn't thrilled with the unusual attention Holmes was attracting with her relationship with Cruise, so they opted not to bring her back for The Dark Knight.
Yeah it’s funny, whenever I see Katie Holmes the first things I think of are “she dated Tom cruise right?” And “Oh yeah she was the original Rachel” lmao
@@crispy_338 She also married Tom Cruise, and had to get her lawyer dad's help with an exit strategy from the marriage so Cruise wouldn't abduct their daughter and keep her in Scientology. Katie was being monitored by Scientology and had to be very careful about it.
I seem to remember that the official reason was that she wanted to do other things (whether that's the case or not is anyone's guess). Either way, Maggie Gyllenhaal was a major step up. Katie seemed out of place in Batman Begins.
lol, if you actually believe that then you're severely lacking in taste. The reason that they killed off the character is because Gyllenhaal is a WAY worse version of the character and had ZERO chemistry with Bale. The reason Katie wasn't in this one was BECAUSE of the controlling nature of Cruise, the studio didn't decide, and neither did she because she lost out on a LOT of other projects when she was with him.@@melanie62954
Right?! I LOVE Maggie as Rachel! She was phenomenal & I really wish she was in the first one. I’m not a big fan of Katie.
“They don’t have access to the comics, they have no prep” I laughed so fucking hard because you can’t tell me that’s something Deadpool wouldn’t say😭😭😭
What I love is that this is arguably one of the top 5 movies ever made, and it just so happens to be about a superhero. This movie truly paved the way for superhero movies to be taken seriously, which Marvel absolutely profited from.
Marvel owes their success to Christopher Nolan specifically for sure.
I don't care what type of movie, Heath Ledger had one of the greatest performances in the movies. He was brilliant.
8:17 is the BEST reaction I’ve ever seen! Oscar you are amazing man! Keep up the awesome work & thank you so much for all the entertainment & support you provide for us fans!
Heath Ledgers performance always reminds me of the saying "horror is comedy without the punchline". So much of what he says or does, or how he says or does it, would actually be funny if it wasn't constantly being used to show how confident the Joker is. If his plans weren't actually working, if he didn't become the archnemesis of The Batman within a few weeks, he would just be another clown. but instead it constantly elevates the tension, raises more questions than it answers and shows of his power in dangerous ways.
Seriously well written.
First, Heath Ledger is the only actor in history to play the joker right. In the scene with him and Maggie Gyllenhaal, in the penthouse, she had nt seen him in character before, and he improvised, grabbing her by the face. She's not acting there. She's actually terrified.
17:57 "He's such a goofball!" Yep, that's why I love him. The fact that Heath was able to pull off such a menacing, terrifying character while making him genuinely fun and entertaining to watch is incredible.
Also, Harvey Dent's actor was Aaron Eckhart. He was amazing as well-I feel kinda bad for him because Heath totally stole the show and he doesn't get nearly as much attention. 😅
I love that the older gentleman the Joker threatens at the party is Senator Leahy! A huge Batman fan, he's featured in a couple animated movies too.
Such a great point about the soldier on the boat not deciding without intel, never thought about it before and I basically have this movie memorised because I love it so much 😂
This movie is legendary its really a masterpiece.
So many iconic moments, quotes. So many improvised scenes from Ledger, an incredible practical stunt: actually flipping an entire truck, blowing up a real hospital with an iconic improvised scene. Truly legendary and will never be forgotten.
You best believe I dropped everything to watch your reaction for one of the best Batman films. I absolutely love your reactions and enjoyed this movie even more despite having seen it so many times over. I can’t wait to see what else you have in store for your channel. 👏🏻
idk if you noticed but Joker switched the addresses because he knew Batman would try and save rachel instead of harvey. also bruce didn’t kill harvey
Hey there, new subscriber here! After your reaction to Batman Begins. I don’t typically leave comments, but I just had to say what an awesome reaction this was. You managed to keep pretty much every detail of the movie I’d like someone to see in the video, and your level of tracking the small details in the movie was excellent. I just wanted to say it was a pleasure to watch and thank you for the content. Cheers
Yeah I think he’s a fantastic reactor. Only shame is I haven’t really f with a lot of the movies and shows on the channel but that’s just my taste. At the end of Batman begins he made the observation that he hadn’t felt like this watching a film for quite some time. Out of interest I went back to see what was the last reaction in the channel that I watched and it was Godfather 2 several months earlier. Speaks volumes really but I don’t mind waiting for quality when it comes around.
Although the Joker's plan are ludicrously complicated and should not realistically work as well as they do, this is still an amazing movie. 🦇
45:85 That's something this movie does incredibly well: putting in small moments that turn out to be significant later. You caught several that people often miss (like Ramirez saying her mom is in the hospital near the very start), but I'm sure you'd find more on rewatch.
23:52 For most of this scene, half of Dent's face is in shadow.
19:04 When Joker says "take off your mask", Rachel stares at Bruce and shakes her head for "no".
27:00 SLAUGHTER as in manslaughter or butchering.
27:29 That's the "rampless jump" Fox talked about in the first Tumbler scene in _Batman Begins._
HI OSCAR ❤ found your channel last year and just wanna say it has brought such joy and happiness to my
life and I can’t wait to see all the great things you watch next!! keep being yourself❤
I don't think the other bus drivers were paid off, I think he timed it with the morning or afternoon school route. Usually near a larger school there are a few roads clogged up with buses coming and going like that until they all turn off and start to disperse.
The Lambo Bruce used is a Murciélago, he DOES have a sense of humor.
& it’s also another word for “bat”. I didn’t kno that until today lol.
@@mistyxmarlboro that's what I meant with "sense of humor" it means bat in Spanish.
Nice, was looking forward to this reaction, I shall watch now and sleep when I'm dead.
I'm sure u've been told already, but the scene at the hospital blowing up and him stopping, as well as the clapping to Gordon, were improv by Ledger. Such a genius performance
Fun fact, in the ballroom scene with Rachel and the joker that was the actress who played Rachel's first time seeing heath in makeup and acting like that and heath improvised ALOT so she was truly fearful in that scene and it shows
Watching you squirm during certain scenes was adorable. Lol. 😄
Fun fact about the music. The ever raising note that plays when the Joker's scenes are building are metal on a cello.
My favorite Batman film. It’s so spectacularly made and performed. Gary Oldman’s speech at the end always has me crying 👏👏
Fun fact, when joker grabs Rachel she tries to look away, towards the director to see if its ok and Alfred/Micheal Cane forgot his lines when joker walked in
I searched the comments for this. Glad someone else knows this fact.
In one of the comics Joker was asked why he is always lying about his backstory. His response was: "I've made up so many of them I can't even remember which one is real anymore".
But you're not talking about the killing joke right ? Because that quote goes " sometimes i remember it one way sometimes another, if I'm going to have a past i prefer it to be multiple choice "
The hospital explosion was perfect because it was meant to be bigger straight away but the explosion didnt work properly, thats why he looked so surprised trying to get it to work
Can you react to "Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron"? It's a story about a strong, beautiful horse with a spirit that can never be broken. I cry every time i watch it! It's a INCREDIBLE film, and the songs are so cool! But it's not a musical and the animals can't talk. 😭💔🔥
I will!!! Looking forward to it
@@thecocoacouchyeah I love that movie I’ll be waiting happily 😊
Here is a fun fact, this film was added by the United State’s Library of Congress to their National Film Registry in 2020 for preservation. The only criteria is that the film has to be culturally, historically or aesthetically significant and be out for at least 10 years. I’d say that’s pretty amazing for a film released in 2008 😊
Another fun fact, the old man who the Joker threatens at the Party, saying he reminds him of his father and I hate my father while grabbing him, is longtime Vermont senator Patrick Leahy here in the USA who retired from his seat in 2023. He is a big Batman fan and made cameo appearances in several Batman films. From what I read, he donates all the money he makes from his roles to charities, most going to a library in his state where he learned to read as a child 😊
Love this movie, and your reaction to it was quite fun to watch. And really cute hearing your little laugh snort at 39:25
36:12 and I'm just loving the fire as criminal money burnsssss 😍 Honestly my favorite joker moment right there
18:28 Maggie Gyllenhaal was actually terrified of Heath Ledger when filming this scene, partly becauseof how off the rails he was on set and partly due to how close and intense he was with her. So, yeah.
In the hospital, when Harvey holds the gun to Jokers head. Jokers holds his finger on the hammer, so even if Hervey puls the trigger, the gun wont fire.
i first watched this movie uniquely for Heath’s oscar winning performance as the joker….. then while watching, i realized this filmmaking is fantastic. Chris Nolan is fantastic
btw, rachel (maggie gyllenhaal) wasn’t acting during the party. chris nolan was the only one who knew heath was gonna be on scene, NOBODY, nor rachel nor any of the extras had seen heath in makeup and they hadn’t rehearsed that, and he actually intimidated everyone on set; maggie actually peeks over at chris for them to cut the shot, but it kept on going
I never noticed it until I had watched the movie a hundred times, but Bruce’s comment “One fundraiser with my friends, you’ll never need another cent” wasn’t just him being nice or playing the extravagant billionaire.
Basically what Bruce was saying is that he approved of Harvey, and the fundraiser was to set Harvey up with a fortune to be able to take care of himself. That way, Harvey could never be bought off by the underworld. Bruce was cutting off an avenue of corruption so Harvey would never have to deal with it.
I love watching how giddy you are with these 😊
They're brilliant films. Probably the best superhero movies ever made.
I saw this MULTIPLE times when it came out in theaters. You have no idea how amazing it was on the big screen!!
Maggie Gyllenhaal (Rachel) had never seen Heath Ledger in his Joker makeup until the party scene. She was genuinely freaked out during their scene. For that matter Michael Caine was also freaked out, for the same reason.
The ship-bombs are definitely a variation of the "Prisoner's Dilemma".
The best action for both parties is to NOT do it (not confess), but if either does it (confess), the other gets the whole punishment...
There is so many things I lov about the Dark Knight series, I love that Batman has a gravely voice I love how he fights, I was very apprehensive when I heard Heath Ledger was gonna play the Joker but after watching this movie he was the best thing about the movie even outshining Batman, it's such a shame that Heath got so into the part that he died afterwards, such a shame, I also loved the soundtrack again done by Hans Zimmer.
19:10 in the animation show joker loved not knowing who batman was
36:16 - this was ACTUAL money it was being sent to the recycle centre or where ever old bills go, but the studio asked if they could burn it for a scene it the movie
39:15 - they delay timer on the explosive tripped out for a few seconds and nobody knew it, what Heath is doing here is pure him off script,also, the "hospital" was actually a de-commissioned building due for demolition, so as you can imagine, a few words here and there, as well as a little money and, it's made it's explosive exit on the big screen
I reckon this joker had military experience considering all the stuff he pulled off.
39:25 I heard the reaction to the bombs taking time to blow up was genuine like he was actually wondering why its not working and they liked it so it was kept in the movie
Nice. Single greatest comic book movie of all time. And I'm a Marvel guy... Ledger's Oscar winning performance still makes me cry every time I see it. Masterful.
Big smile when you mentioned Spy Hunter ❤️❤️❤️
35:17 Harvey was saved but not all of him and its hard when you are a survivor like he lost Rachel and he is disfigured
12:10 To Batman, Bruce Wayne is the mask, and Batman is who he really is underneath of it.
Love from South Africa 🇿🇦
The alfred character is bruce's truth. He tells the truth no matter how inconvenient it is. (until the end of course).
28:57 And this is not a miniature or anything, it is a real truck being flipped over! th-cam.com/video/hRgq12XOhjc/w-d-xo.html
About the hospital explosion, Heath's reaction to the second explosion is real, the charges failed to detonate and he just rolled with it.
I don't see any mention of it but a fun fact is
When Joker walks out of the hospital, and the explosions stop, that was Heath improvising his reactions as that pause wasn't planned haha, it was supposed to just keep exploding as he walked out
In the comic books he's always known as Commissioner Gordon.
The comment early in the movie with Gordon and Dent about what the police around the water cooler call Dent, TWO FACE 😈
People that have nothing to lose can always stay anywhere from 1 to 10 steps ahead.
37:02 It's a Lambo Murcielago. Murcielago is the spanish name for Bat.
For me, there are 4 near perfect super hero movies that set a bar and kind of share the #1 spot- Dark Knight, Avengers, Deadpool, and Logan.
You should check out Heath's last film, The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus. One of Andrew Garfield's first movies. Johnny Depp, Jude Law, and Colin Farrell helped fill in for the role to complete it.
Funny story the hospital explosion WAS supposed to be bigger that’s why he looked surprised.
That's a myth. The script has the scene just as we've seen it.
myth
In the Batman lore, Harvey Dent and Bruce were good friends who both wanted Gotham cleaned up. Sadly Harvey had his issues and an accident twisted him into becoming Two-Face....Half good old Harvey....have Two-Face. I hope you watch the Animated Series cause my goodness it's amazing.
"Accident"... Originally (before the reboots and whatnot started happening later on), a mobster deliberately threw acid in his face, triggering him to become Two-Face - which started him obsessing about coin flipping, innosence/guilt, and binary outcomes in general. :)