“Why so serious?” the Joker asks bemused as he pushes a knife in to a criminal’s mouth before performing horrific surgery on his face. This scene sends chills down your spine; an unexpected feeling given the more amusing history of this character on screen. From his first appearance in director Christopher Nolan’s “The Dark Knight”, it is evident that this Joker is different to all previous on-screen versions of the character. Unfolding on screen is a malevolent, psychotic, mass-murdering anarchist; like ominous screen villains such as Hannibal Lecter before him, he is completely mesmerizing to watch.

What makes this version of the Joker so formidable and engrossing is the dramatic depth afforded to his character combined with the strong thematic structure set up within the film. The Joker is Batman’s exact opposite, and equal; he’s there to cause chaos and throw Batman impossible ethical choices, and at times, he does have his measure over the Caped Crusader. More importantly, director Christopher Nolan sets up the premise that the Joker is a by-product of Batman himself. As Alfred remarks to Bruce Wayne at a crucial point in the film, “You spat in the face of the criminal underworld; did you think there wouldn’t be a response? Things were always going to get worse before they got better.”

Christopher Nolan made a great choice in choosing not to give the Joker an origin story. Nolan referred to the Joker as like the shark in Jaws; he shows up to chew through everything and scare the hell out of everyone. However, he does have something of a back story, recounted by the Joker himself in two crucial scenes where he recounts his father’s psychotic behavior and his explanation from where his facial scars came from. Both scenes are downright chilling, especially when you realize that as the Joker is describing what happened to him in the past that he is about to inflict that same fate on the person he is telling his tragic story to. On the page this would have been frightening to read, but Heath Ledger delivers a performance that takes these scenes to another level. He manages to convey menace, tragedy, lunacy and even a touch of comedy all at the same time. As he is describing his personal tragedy, you almost feel sorry for him; but then the malevolence returns, and you wonder if he is actually telling the truth or using this story as an excuse to exacerbate the mental anguish his targeted victim is going through. All of these factors make for an extraordinary Joker, all the more highlighted by his encounters with Batman, another extreme character who will stop at nothing to stomp out crime in Gotham City. In a crucial interrogation scene, the Joker quips, “kill you? Why would I do that? You complete me!”

The late Heath Ledger has thrown down the gauntlet to any actor aspiring to play this character in the future because it seems hard to see how any one will be able to top this performance in any future Batman films. When the decision to cast him as the Joker was announced, many eyebrows were raised: how could this seeming nobody actor from Australia take on a character that Jack Nicholson played so well in the first Batman film? Flash forward to release and there are no more doubts. One could say that even Jack Nicholson’s performance as the Joker in Tim Burton’s 1989 film “Batman” pales in comparison to the depth, range and villainy of Ledger’s definitive take on Batman’s classic arch enemy. Ledger completely disappears in to the role, lighting up the screen with every malevolent twist in the plot, reminding us how powerful film can be when it’s driven by great story and character.

I should point out that Ledger is part of an ensemble cast that works wonders in this film. Ledger is in the spotlight because of his untimely passing but the other cast members, particularly Christian Bale and Aaron Eckhart are likewise excellent in their respective roles as Batman/Bruce Wayne and Harvey Dent/Two-Face.

In this day and age of soulless Hollywood product designed to sell movie tickets and toys by the billions, the fact that a film such as “The Dark Knight” has emerged from this backdrop is very encouraging. Hope now exists that at least on some occasions, Hollywood will be driven to make quality films as opposed to shoddy merchandise masquerading as a film; anyone remember “Batman and Robin”?. The only down side to this film is that it is the one and only time we will get to see Heath Ledger portray the Joker, a performance so formidable that it begs the question: what actor out there is brave enough to play this character now?