Dark Knight's 'Joker' Humorous, Horrifying

Like any good clown, Heath Ledger’s portrayal of The Joker elicited more than a few laughs at the premiere of the latest Batman film, “The Dark Knight,” last night at the downtown Chehalis Theater.

The laughs weren’t of the warm-hearted variety though. The chuckles that came during the 2 1/2-hour movie were the result of Ledger’s dark portrayal of a reborn comic book villain.

“I’m going to make this pencil disappear,” The Joker lisps while holding a pencil point up on a table early in the movie. In a flash, he slams a rival crook’s head down on the pencil, driving it into his face.

“It’s magic,” he chuckled, and the entire crowd of about 260 people laughed with him.

It was this type of “humor” that filled the long-awaited sequel to 2005’s “Batman Begins.” Unexpected violence and injury, and the way in which The Joker carries it out, provides a dark comedic value. Though the movie was named for the hero, Batman, it was Ledger’s character who stole the show. The voice of the late actor is completely altered, and along with a staggering gait and a snake-like tongue that he flicks in and out of his mouth, it creates an unforgettable and terrifying villain.

Many movie critics predict the actor, who died of an overdose earlier this year, will be awarded an Oscar for his final performance, and none in attendance Friday disagreed.

Ledger’s ‘Joker’ is different than previous incarnations of the villain. Jack Nicholson gave him a comically maniacal, crazed-criminal feel in 1989. However, Ledger’s version is more calculated, even if it is never quite clear why he seeks to create chaos. Many of his acts of terror and violence are committed as a way of confirming his views of human nature, a deep twist never attached to the character in the past.

One interesting description given to the criminal clown throughout the film is that of a “terrorist” — a compelling description indeed considering the heavy overtones that accompany that word in today’s world.

More interesting is the fact that the Dark Knight, played for a second time by Christian Bale, creates a mechanism for eavesdropping on the cell phone calls of every citizen of Gotham City. In the end, this asset is more than helpful, which begs the question of whether or not the film has any value as an allegory.

The film had other unforgettable moments as well, almost all of them involving ‘The Joker.’ In the end, Batman is left a villain himself, fleeing from police to accomplish what he considers a greater good.

The conclusion of the film echoed a statement made by Ledger’s Joker early in the film:

“You either die a hero, or live long enough to become a villain.”