Heath Ledger's Joker: great performance, poor joker
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Archived from the IMDb Discussion Forums — Marvel/DC
ruhenri-decastro — 9 years ago(August 05, 2016 06:35 AM)
I know that I will probably get a lot of hate for saying this, but people need to stop comparing Leto's performance with the one from Ledger, a simple reason: Heath Ledger made the performance of his life with that role, but he wasn't the Joker.
Joker isn't some anarchist that hates money and just wants to see chaos. Joker is a lunatic mafia boss who likes to create chaos. My main question is the emphasis that Nolan put in the anarchist stuff. Yes, joker is crazy. Yes, joker likes to create chaos and do bad crazy stuff just for the sake of it. But, he didn't sat down reading anarchist theorists and thought "wow, this is true, an anarchist society would rock, lets burn some beep to the ground". He is a beep mobster for christ sake.
So, please, think twice before saying that Heath's Joker was the best. Heath's performance was the best, not his take on the character.
Another thing, Leto overdoing Joker? How is that possible? The Joker is a crazy egoistical and sadist bastard, he is the personification of overdoing, his whole attitude in the comics is overdoing and overacting. -
OLD_ACCOUNT_skribb_Mk2 — 9 years ago(August 05, 2016 06:40 AM)
Never once have I had the impression that Joker is a mobster.
I don't really see fictional villains as fitting "real life" stereotypes. It would be a bit weird, and a bit pigeonholing, to do that.
Joker is a classic comic book villain. Literally, since he was incarnated like 70 years ago.
Funnily enough I also never got the impression that Ledger's Joker was an anarchist. I saw him as someone who, indeed, wanted to watch the world burn, and having a laugh while doing it.
DISCLAIMER: If the post above is stupid, explain my stupidity instead of name-calling. -
Tha_Harlequin_Of_Hate — 9 years ago(August 05, 2016 06:45 AM)
Yea Ledger was never THE Joker. Ledger was amazing but not crazy at all, he was very well put together AND that lying bastard had a plan, f what he said lol.
Joker doesn't care about money but he doesn't really care ABOUT anarchy he just is anarchy lol. Ledger was more eccentric then psychotic. Joker is also bleached, no make up. Joker occasional puts on makeup to look normal, Ledger did the opposite. I felt like he was more likely a former soldier or mob victim then THE JOKER. HE WAS STILL GREAT THOUGH.
I think Leto was the best representation of the COMIC BOOK Joker so far BUT he is not BETTER than Ledger, i can not say that. -
matt197981 — 9 years ago(August 05, 2016 06:50 AM)
The Joker in Nolans film is vastly overrated, I like thevdark knight but I hate the sterile look of the film, batman begins had this great look to it. Tgat wasn't the Joker he would have had a more bizarre over the top plan. He would have been more psychotic not cold and calculating.
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ZAROVE — 9 years ago(August 05, 2016 07:05 AM)
This is the same bloke who shot Commissioner Gordons daughter Barbara just to prove a Philosophical and Psychological point, right?
Suicide Squad notwithstanding, the Joker in the comics is far closer to Heath Ledger than to Jared Leto. I'm not saying this ot bash Leto's Joker, and Ledger's isn't 1 for 1 exactly the same either, but the Joker is not a Mob Boss, he's a deranged Lunatic who wants to prove some kind of point.
Or just amuse himself. -
gregorik — 9 years ago(August 05, 2016 07:22 AM)
I agree that Leto is a great casting choice. Looks and feels the part.
There was something Joker-ish about him even in his much earlier roles like Panic Room.
'Don't just DO something, STAND there!'
Pastor Charlie Bing -
johnmuir76 — 9 years ago(August 05, 2016 07:34 AM)
Agree with the original poster. Heath Ledger's Joker was interesting, but more like the Batman villain Anarky than the actual Joker. The Joker was a crazy crime boss/mobster. At least he was in the 60s, 70s, and 80s. Not sure how they write him today.
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BigDDD — 9 years ago(November 24, 2016 06:21 AM)
Ledgers "joker" had more to do and work with but his Joker was inspired by clockwork orange and he basically just ripped off tom waits voice and mannerisms
https://youtu.be/1m5z3vxTd7U
Good psycho but awful Joker -
darkshadow851 — 9 years ago(November 24, 2016 04:16 PM)
What drives me nuts about all of this is everyone tries to define what the "Joker" really should be The Joker is just a general idea, it isn't this singular character that you must be. With all the years of the Joker, it has been played in many different ways. There isn't a single defining set of criteria one must meet to qualify as "Joker". It wouldn't work anyhow, since every one is different.
And as far as the major film productions of Joker go, I love what they did with Leto in the role. Nicholson was a good as a sort of campy but violent Joker with strong organized crime connections. Ledger was great as the total unhinged loner type who basically infiltrates the underground crime scene and causes basically just as much chaos there as in the normal world.
Leto's version is sort of a balance between the two. Less explosive as the other versions, more calculated. Still strong organized crime connections, however still a bit too insane to really be safe even for his own people.
Mostly I liked it though because it felt like the most believable version. Burton's Batman version of Joker didn't make enough sense to actually be grounded in reality. Nolan's version was too violent and everything worked too perfectly for him to be remotely possible. This latest version, it feels like it kind of works on some level. A whacked out gangster who has plans that sometimes work, and sometimes don't. No gadgets so impossible it breaks suspension of disbelief, but still done intelligently and dangerously.
I dunno.. My point is, I like them all because each one is different. I was thrilled they went in such a different direction because that's what I wanted. Something new, not more of the same. To me, that's the real Joker: A changing entity. Like a folk talk, in a way each culture has their own version, and the different versions are what make it so fun.