Joker-Only Dark Knight Cut Really Showcases Heath Ledger's Overacting
I know that it's absolute heresy to so much as whisper the possibility that anything at all might be wrong with The Dark Knight, but a new supercut from the folks who brought us The King's Speech: Just the Stammering goes a long way to spotlight one of the blockbuster's weakest links: Heath Ledger.
The late actor's Oscar notwithstanding, is there any more glaringly showy, scenery-scarfing, overindulgent, "I am so bad! Look how bad I am!" villainy in the modern comic-book canon than Ledger's turn as the Joker? How brainwashed were all of us four years ago when we walked out of Christopher Nolan's spectacle thinking we'd seen the genre's definitive evildoer, only to look back at this 10-and-a-half-minute showcase of cackling, lip-smacking, hand-clapping camp and wonder, "What was that?"
I mean, it's fine! The movie's good! I'm looking forward to The Dark Knight Rises, etc. etc. But keeping it to Academy Award-winning supporting actors alone, something tells me that we wouldn't be cringing as much at all of Christoph Waltz's bits standing apart from Inglourious Basterds, or every longing, bittersweet note of Christopher Plummer's performance drawn out from Beginners. (Hint, hint. Someone should get on that.)
[via thecussingchannel]
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Comments
Ledger was not overacting at all. It was actually an uncharismatic performance. He did not have the persona to fill out the role and it is sad he was stressed out over it.
This is the most ludicrous piece of lazy journalism you've shat out yet, S.T. VANAIRSDALE . You examine a random smattering of Ledger's lines-- out of context, out of time--and bash his ACADEMY AWARD WINNING acting? You're right-- without the quiet moments, the silent subtleties between the line reading, Ledger's performance does seem pretty silly. But that could be said of EVERY PERFORMANCE in the history of television and film. You're an idiot. Your credibility as a journalist and cinephile are hereby REVOKED.
Yeah, I don't really see how this is overacting... just his lines out of context with rough cuts. Make a Bale only version of The Dark Knight and it would be even more ridiculous
Or a Pacino only cut of Scarface....
Taking a performance out of the context of a film doesn't magically reveal it to be bad. Ledger was perfectly appropriate in the context of the film, which is how his performance was used.
I don't see the problem here.
Look how coooool we've gotten in the last four years. Nothing we once thought was cool is cooooool anymore.
sry man, ur an idiot - best joker ever - good performance - well earned award.
I never liked heath but this was just outstanding.
And ur just tryn to make urself important with attacking random things. I guess thats ur thing. And in the end when everybody disagrees ull just say " yay i made ppl talk- im so cool" - ur just pathetic...
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