Another guest appearance in the outro! Would love to know what your favourite scene is in this movie and if it is your favourite of the trilogy? DARK KNIGHT RISES now on Patreon for early access: www.patreon.com/SebScreen
One of Best masterpieces Ever. Maybe The Best movie Ever. Easily top 5 at least. Joker for me is the Best character in ALL fiction (thanks alot to legder evidently his performance is the Best an actor could do to a character). this movie has the Best Villain Ever And The Best superhero Ever (Batman) as well Imo.
Oh for sure this is my favorite from the trilogy! And to pick a scene... Only one? I mean, every scene of Heath Ledger is cinema history, that was a masterclass of acting, he was the GOAT. Aside from that, I think every scene in this movie is reaaally well filmed and everything was on point: the shots, acting, music... A gem of a movie.
In case you missed it Joker purposely mixed up Rachel and Harvey's locations. So when Batman went to rescue Rachel he unknowingly ended up at Harvey's location - now too late to save Rachel. Just another sick twist of the knife that is the Joker's MO.
@@Sinewmire I thought right at the end when he's got Batman pinned down, Joker is disappointed the boats don't blow each other up, so reaches for his own switch.
@Coco Young You are correct. I don't know how people don't get it the first time. Joker: "In their last moments, people show you who they Really are." Joker: Laughs maniacally as he is falling to his death. He thought he got Batman to break his one rule.
another thing thats easy to miss, when Joker was talking to Harvey in the hospital, joker is holding the hammer of the revolver with his finger, so even if harvey pulled the trigger, it wouldnt have fired. joker would have lived no matter what the coin landed on.
There's a story that during the party scene where Joker comes looking for Harvey, the first take they did, Michael Caine forgot his lines because Heath terrified him so much. Heath Ledger was amazing in this movie. It's terrible that he died before it was released in theaters and people lost their minds over it. He won a Golden Globe, SAG and Oscar for playing him. Christopher Nolan, Gary Oldman and his family accepted on his behalf for each award.
Just to expand on what you said, it wasn't only that Michael Caine was terrified, he hadn't seen Ledger with the make-up on, he had no idea what the Joker would look like, so he was absolutely shocked (you can see Caine just staring at Ledger as Joker walks around). Same for Rachel in the same scene, Maggie Gyllenhaal hadn't seen Ledger in makeup either, and Joker wasn't supposed to force Rachel to "look at me", but Ledger had to because Gyllenhaal was genuinely frightened and wouldn't look at him.
The licking that Heath was doing was partially because the scar prosthetics would come loose, and he found if he licked them it helped them to stay on, so he worked that into his performance. Just another reason he was a brilliant actor. The old guy that Joker threatens at Harvey's fundraiser is Senior Vermont Senator Patrick Leahy, who is a huge Batman fan and has done cameos before. Also, during the interrogation scene at the police lockup, he told Christian to actually hit him to make his performance truly real. As to the Joker's origin story, in the comics he's always preferred that if he did have one, that it be multiple choice. He tells different stories tailored to his audience to see the reaction they have to it. For funsies.
@@adrianjames5970 - umm…I was commenting on them actually blowing up the hospital here in Chicago and how amazing that morning was. Not really sure where that reaction came from, but everyone is entitled to their own opinion.
If I remember correctly that was debunked. It definitely was planned and it just looks like improv. The would make sure everything was setup correctly since they only have one shot and it wouldn’t just have a delay like that unless they intentionally added one.
I live in Chicago where The Dark Knight was filmed. It was amazing because each night the news would be reporting and showing video of the bat mobile crashing through the streets. They filmed right in the Loop, the financial district as well as in a place called Lower Wacker, where there is an entire street system under the city. And yes, they did blow up a building that stood in place of the hospital. It was the Brach’s Chocolate Factory that was due to be demolished anyways. So they took advantage of that opportunity. It was very cool coming into work and seeing police cars lined up painted with Gotham Police on them each day as well as other set pieces and places. Chicago made a perfect backdrop for Gotham City.
My husband would see them filming while he walked to work. And what I really loved is they made the city a character too. With as much as they used Chicago, it made Gotham feel like a lived in place.
Heath Ledger’s Joker has got to be the greatest acting performance in film history, in my opinion. I’ve never in my life seen such a well detailed, lived in, and absolutely flawless performance as this role. Absolutely incredible every single time I see it.
Guys we get it, you disagree. That’s why I literally said that it’s my opinion. So idk why you’re trying to be upset or convince me or something like that lol you’ve got your opinions, mine’s still mine.
@@sirsnow371 I’ve watched plenty of movies, my opinion is still what it is. Quit assuming stuff about me or trying to condescend just cause I think differently lol
Everyone says the MCU and DCEU have a villain problem. This film and Heath's performance specifically is the reason. In 2008 we saw the perfect presentation of a comic villain, it's going to be a long time, if ever, until someone live up to being the bad guy just so well. Also really helps that Bale knocked it out of the park at the same time.
Gotta throw it out there that the only reason Aaron Eckhart's Harvey Dent isn't considered the best comic book villain adaptation is because even his brilliant performance is outshone by Ledger's Joker. Gary Oldman was also fantastic. In all 3 really, but especially in this one I think.
@@adamhughes4387 Yeah, in any other film... The supporting cast in this film, brought their A-game. Which is a huge credit to the cast, the director and the script writers. Everyone was on form for this. Heath just took it to another level. The whole story about the explosives failing in the hospital scene, but he not only didn't blow it, but adlibbed 100% in character when a once in a life time shot was being recorded. That alone proves how special he was to this film. The Oscar was more than earned by his performance. An Oscar for a comic book movie, I don't expect to see that again in my life time. Cain as Alfred, again was perfect in this one, but his performance in Rises! To this day he crushes me. No one has ever managed to portray the love and respect for his guardian that these three films do.
@@Petrixxxxxxx D'Onofrio, just like Hiddleston had time and space to develop their character. Ledger had a single film. That is no shade on either of those actors, both have created some of the best villains ever. But not an Oscar winning villain in their first try.
His laugh as the Joker still gives me chills every time. Especially when he's getting his ass kicked and he's just laughing hysterically. Heath Ledger set the bar so high. also a piece that I missed the first few times I watched it. when he burns the money, Lao is sitting on top of it. So he burned him alive with the money.
The term “masterpiece” gets thrown around quite a bit these days, but I think it’s just to say that this performance was Heath Ledger’s masterpiece, in the traditional sense of the word…his performance is unparalleled in any other performance of the Joker.
This movie taught me a lot about judging actors before seeing the performance. Hardly any one will admit to it nowadays, but when Heath was first announced as the Joker there was a lot of backlash (including me) whose first response was "Seriously? The guy from Brokeback Mountain and Knight's Tale?" but then the trailers showed the "LOOK AT ME" recording and we all began to get hyped for it, which ultimately soared when the news he'd passed came. A ton of people went through this process of having low expectations to high expectations leading up to the release and it's really phenomenal that I've never heard any one say they disliked Heath's Joker despite all the pre/post hype surrounding the film. Nowadays when casting is announced and there's outrage or doubt like Affleck as Batman or Holland as Drake or etc, I immediately dismiss it and save my judgement for when I actually see it.
Huge huge backlash. The internet was a lot smaller then but it was so anti the casting. Probably didn’t help that his prior role was as a gay cowboy. Coming after Jack Nicholson’s Joker, it would be fair to say expectations were very low. To get an Academy award in acting for a superhero movie shows that people couldn’t have been more wrong. The fact he died before release leaving his 2 year old daughter was tragic.
Spot on, except for one thing. Everybody admits being at the very LEAST, skeptical about Ledger. Haven't heard ONE person say they this coming. Because I'd smack the liar.
Fun fact, apparently that video was originally gonna look much different, with red lighting and such, but Ledger went to Nolan and said that felt too planned for the Joker, and asked to direct it himself. The result with the meat locker and shaky cam was so good Nolan let Ledger direct the second homemade vid of Engel reading the Joker's threat to Gotham by himself.
It always breaks my heart whenever I remember that Heath never got to see how much people loved his work in the movie. He would've been so happy and proud. It's truly devastating that he passed at such a young age. What a brilliant and amazingly talented man he was💔
“He doesn’t make a choice he just flips the coin” actually he was making his own choices up until then. Remember it’s a 2 headed coin so he would always make what he thought the ideal outcome was heads. He always gave everyone else the illusion of fate or the illusion of chance, but once he and the coin got burned he decided to actually leave it to fate. Burned is an act of evil and unburned is an act of relative good. It’s a very interesting character arc “Wait is all of that real” yup. They apparently blew up an abandoned candy factory for real for that sequence It’s such a shame Heath Ledger passed before this movie’s release. He never got to see how much people loved his performance and how it took pop culture by storm. It was said he was gonna return in Dark Knight Rises and I can only imagine how much better and/or different that movie would’ve been with him in it. What a legend
Y'know, I'd watched TDK soooo many times over the last 12 years, to the point of being done with it. Now watching you see this for the first time and seeing your sheer excitement brought me back to that first time in the cinema for me in 2008. I really want to watch it again now, so thanks for that!
The lip licking came from heath ledger having to lick the prosthetic scars to restick them when they came loose. It happened so often, he ended up making it into part of the character's mannerisms.
A detail that I love in a scene is when the Joker is with Harvey Dent in the hospital room. When he gives harvey that gun, puts it on his own head and tells Harvey to pull the trigger, if you look closely you see the Joker is actually holding the "hammer" of the gun, so even if Harvey had pulled the trigger he was prepared. Goes to show that the Joker doesnt deal with chance, he as it all planned.
It's the little details I love in this movie. The roadblock made from a burning fire truck. The sLaughter truck. And the little traps, like that Joker made Batman choose... but lied about which person was at which location. You left out my favorite bit from the boats sequence though. Where the big prisoner talks the guard into handing over the detonator... then tosses it.
I agree, I watched the movies countless times back to back. I also noticed that some of the "belongings" in Bruce's house, for example a picture frame of his parents from the first movie, is in the third movie as well except this time it is shattered. The pearl necklace that his father gave his mother that night also makes an appearance in the third film.
Heath Ledger's performance in this film is beyond brilliant. It's truly the stuff of legends and I will forever be sad that he did not live to see his *much* deserved Oscar win.
Fun fact: the whole why so serious scene with Rachel was completely improvised by Leger, her look of confusion to the side is actually legit concern looking at the production team.
A fun fact: Heath Ledger directed the hostage video footage stuff himself since he was always in love with the art of filmmaking and directing. And they loved it so much they included it in the movie exactly as he made it. Heath Ledger will always be my favorite actor, and this movie will always be special to me because of him. Most people think that this was his last role but his last role was actually in The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus which he passed away before completing. Jude Law, Johnny Depp, and Colin Farrell all took over Heath Ledger's character to represent different "dream sequence" versions of his character. They also took the proceeds they made from being in the movie and gave it to Matilda Ledger, Heath's daughter!
I was fortunate enough not only to see this one in theatres, but all 3 of them in a single-night screening, when Rises premiered. At the end of the last scene with the Joker, everyone in the theatre gave Ledger a standing ovation.
The scene where Heath Leathers joker is fiddling with the detonator is an actual blooper because the explosion was delayed so the actor improvised and the director loved it so much he kept it in
In Batman: The Killing Joke the Joker does give a bit of insight onto his origins but gives different explanations and says that if he's going to have a past it might as well be multiple choice. My personal theory is he no longer remembers his past, either through trauma or otherwise being that crazy he genuinely can't remember anymore so just makes up whatever suits the situation to get the best reaction. Like he tells the mob boss a story about an abusive father to scare him, but tries to tell Rachel a more sympathetic story.
Rewatching this I forget the amount of respect that Harvey and Bruce had for each other. They both see the other as absolutely crucial for saving Gotham. They try to fall on their own swords for the sake of the other in several cases, and the other swoops in to take the hit instead. It's super nice to see. Especially since they played him off as "the competition" at first, basically showing the skepticism that Bruce had initially.
When Harvey shot Batman you said "well we know he's bulletproof right?" Earlier in the movie, Lucius told Batman that separating the armor plates in the new suit to allow Batman to move around better would make him "more vulnerable to knives and gunfire". The suit may offer some protection but he definitely is gonna have some damage from that gunshot.
A good scene I love is when joker tells the cop in the interrogation room that people show you who they really are in their last moments, and he's laughing as he's falling to his death at the end.
I went to the midnight screening premiere of this movie at IMAX and at the end of the film everyone was just jaws on the floor looking at each other in stunned silence. We couldn't believe how unbelievably great this movie was. Everyone went into this movie with high expectations because of Batman Begins and then the movie just blew all of those expectations out of the water. This was an epic crime drama masterpiece and back then nobody could have ever expected that a comic book film could ever possibly be this great. It transcended the genre and is still to this day IMO the best comic book movie of all time. Hopefully, the upcoming "The Batman" is just as good.
I love that the Joker's story about how he got the scars changes every time he tells it. It's right out of the comics. The Joker always preferred his past to be "multiple choice."
In case it hasn’t come up, the skyhook balloon thing actually does exist, called the Fulton Extraction System. US Air Force, Navy and CIA have used it from 1965 to 96 to get important people (spies, etc) out of places without needing to land by just dropping a package with cold weather gear, harness, the balloon, and the compressed gas and then flying a modified cargo plane over. Apparently a similar thing was used even in WWII.
at 11:30 that whole tape but specifically the, “LOOK AT ME” sends chills down my spine every time i watch it. one of my favorite cbm ever. RIP Heath Ledger ❤
Thank you Seb for this Christmas present. The single greatest superhero movie of all time. And an Oscar winning performance for Ledger. Deservedly. Brings tears to my eyes every time. And yes, best opening of any film ever. I have a massive poster of that opening shot from behind the Joker standing on the street.
So happy that you loved this movie!! Just like you said after last week, it’s hard to imagine that it gets better than Batman Begins, but this movie was literally another level. It is just perfect and Heath Ledger blew me away!
I love how every one of The Joker's games is about proving that everyone is, or can be, a murderer, much as in The Killing Joke, be it the robbers in the opening, or making Batman choose who lives and dies.
2:28 ..... "What doesn't kill you, simply makes you stranger"..... Sounds like a cool line, right?..... But it's more than that. That simple line recaps everything this Joker stands for. By simply change the "o" of stronger, he completely change the meaning of the phrase, a concept that we see along the movie. By simply taking down a few people, the whole city crumbles into chaos, just as the Joker wants to. He even repeat the same joke with "S-laughter is the best medicine"...... That's a thing only great comedians can reach; simple and yet efective.......
Heath Ledger's performance as the Joker is probably one of the best acting performances we'll ever see in a superhero movie and honestly in any genre of movies. He truly embodied the clown so perfectly and he even got an Oscar posthumously for the performance. It's terribly sad that his struggle with addiction took his life but his legacy definitely lives on.
That hospital explosion scene was so fucking amazing. The effects team came up with the idea of blowing up a few of the bombs, then pretending that they had failed, to only later blow up the real big stuff. As a result, they were able to do the whole fucking thing in a single shot and actually have Heath Ledger do it instead of using a stunt double, because by the time the actual explosion demolished the building he'd be out. God I miss practical effects.
Fun fact, the scars on the jokers face is called a Glasgow Smile. originated in Glasgow Scotland in the early 1900's, a razor would be used to slit the cheeck from mouth to ear. The actor Tommy Flanagan has the scar after being attacked outside a nightclub in Glasgow.
Anyone else get the idea that the ferries each had THEIR OWN detonator? --- In analyzing the Joker's character, I believe he would have set it up that way because he thought it would be amusing / funny.
The way you said "you can't mess up the shot" literally right before the explosions at the hospital. Heath Ledger just kept fiddling with the remote. It made that ill timing look so much more real!!
The coolest part is the amount of theorizing that's been going on since then on Joker's origins and motivations. He's so ambiguous in the movie, yet so brilliant. Hands down one of the best characters in all of cinema. Also respect for how you pick up on Joker lying about not having a plan. I didn't really think about it at first, when the movie released all the way back in 2008, but it makes more sense than "mad dog".
This is false info. There was no technical problem, it was intentionally delayed. Nolan himself said this in the behind the scenes featurette. The scene was rehearsed several times before the real take with explosions.
Another detail you may have missed, when Joker is making Harvey hold a gun to his head and letting the coin decide, you can see his thumb/finger on the hammer, so even if the coin had landed on the "kill" side, it wouldn't have fired. Joker was always in control, never leaving anything to chance.
Idk if anyone acknowledges this but the bat garage with the lights for a ceiling is really badass I'd live there hopefully the new batman movie can top it off
in a certain part of the movie it is said that the joker wears war makeup, that explains a lot about him, his taste for knives and ease in handling weapons. he may have once been an old soldier who freaked out at everything he saw on the battlefield.
I don't know how well known it is, but the scene where Gordan gets promoted and the joker just started clapping along with the rest of the people in the room was entirely improvised and so was everyone's face when it shows their reaction. It just shows how great heath ledger was when he can even creep out the other actors so easily.
Perfect reaction as always 💛 Regarding why Batman went to save Dent, he thought he was going to get Rachel, the Joker gave him the opposite address on purpose
Dark Knight fun fact!: did you know that the health ledger Joker is a complete parallel to the Jack Nicholson Joker from Batman 89? As a matter of fact, 89 joker wants the Batman dead and unmasked, while Ledger doesn't want to. Nicholson joker starts with a more subbtle approach to ruin Gotham starting by poisoning house hold products and then the city, while Ledger goes full on berserk! Also when Batman ties joker up side down in TDK, in Batman 89 He let's joker fall after tying him up a gargoyle, thus killing him.
In the scene of Joker talking to Rachel, Heath played the Joker so well that the Actress playing Rachel said she was horrified for real. So the tears and horror you see in her eyes is genuine.
Best Batman movie EVER AND FOREVER ! The interrogation scene is one of the best scenes ever filmed in the history of movies. That Joker performance is out of this world amazing!
For the hospital scene... A hospital was gonna be destroyed anyways around the same time, so they took advantage of it and literally blew up a hospital.
when you workout, put on the Dark Knight main theme song. You'll feel like Batman. By the way, Hans Zimmer is performing like 3 shows in London next March.
20:06 this was the plan to determine that. Earlier at the party when Beuce saved Rachel, Joker initially thought it was Harvey since Harvey was absent when Joker came in (Joker confirms this later on in the interrogation scene). Because with the truck plan, one of 2 things will happen. 1. Batman will not come to the rescue because Harvey is Batman. 2. Batman comes to rescue Harvey confirming Harvey isn't Batman.
this was so satisfying to watch I Love The Dark Knight it is a film i have watched more times than i can count and your reaction to it proves it wasn't just insanity to do so. glad you're getting to experience these films
A lot, a lot of the stuff Joker says in the interrogation room to Batman is super relevant to Dark Knight Rises, which is amazing.. Also the first hospital explosion scene was all real, 1 take, some of those explosives didn't go off, that's why Heath had to improv by fiddling with the detonator until they got it to explode.
*I got to see this movie a month early at a special premier back in 2008.* I remember going to school the next day and everyone asked me what happened, but no one believed me when I told them a few points (I didn’t spoil anything major).
fun fact: When joker clapped for officer gordon it was heath ledgers idea and it scared everyone but they decided to keep it in the film, also when joker blowed up the hospital heath ledger thought it would be more than just one so he kept pushing the button and then thats when it blows and they decided to keep it in
This movie is so good I don’t even use the common “it’s a comic book movie” this movie is in my top 2 with no way home and I love it more every time I see it. With all the great characters, world building and just Christopher Nolan. Period. Also the score is some of the best ever. Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard are so good and create the most hype moments. Everything is just so perfect.
Regal Cinemas is showing this tomorrow and Thursday as part of their Film Fest that they’re doing for Christopher Nolan and I’ve got my tickets for tomorrow night.
The scene where the Joker grabs Rachel and starts to speak about his scars is so good, cause is improv, Maggy says she didnt expect that and that she was truly scared when he put that knife so close to her face - thats how good of an actor was he bro...
i still cannot believe that heath ledger’s real voice is actually very deep and very australian. he created an entirely new and unique joker voice, not just in monotone, but in varying pitch as well. he was the master of accents and i don’t know why people never acknowledge it!!
A fun comic series was Flashpoint Paradox where Bruce died instead of his parents. Thomas Wayne became the batman and Martha Wayne became the Joker. The long lost lovers comment reminded me of that.
The best way to watch this is in IMAX or 3d. Some of those scenes are really well done. One of the best action movies ever made where the CG isn't totally distracting.
At 0:40 there's a Spider-Man 3 poster in the background The first scene Heath Ledger and Christian Bale shoot together was the interrogation scene and Heath asked him to punch him for real A lot of what Heath did was improvised Heath passed away a few month before this movie came out, so he never saw the movie(the only scene he saw was the first scene in the bank) For the 3rd film Nolan wanted it to be about the Joker's trial , and harley Quinn was also gonna appear but since Heath died he changed it so the movie is about Bane(played by Tom Hardy)
I was really looking forward to watching this film when it came out in cinemas and it’s one of few films where I still looked forward to watching it a second time even more.
The reason he gives a different meaning everytime he asks someone if they want to know how he got those scars is so he can show that anyone can become him. His entire ideology in this movie is if anyone is pushed hard enough they will crumble. Harvy Dent is the best case of this
Another guest appearance in the outro! Would love to know what your favourite scene is in this movie and if it is your favourite of the trilogy?
DARK KNIGHT RISES now on Patreon for early access: www.patreon.com/SebScreen
One of Best masterpieces Ever. Maybe The Best movie Ever. Easily top 5 at least.
Joker for me is the Best character in ALL fiction (thanks alot to legder evidently his performance is the Best an actor could do to a character).
this movie has the Best Villain Ever And The Best superhero Ever (Batman) as well Imo.
I love the night chase scene. So well filmed and choreographed. Definitely my fave of the three!
Oh for sure this is my favorite from the trilogy! And to pick a scene... Only one? I mean, every scene of Heath Ledger is cinema history, that was a masterclass of acting, he was the GOAT. Aside from that, I think every scene in this movie is reaaally well filmed and everything was on point: the shots, acting, music... A gem of a movie.
14:10 It's possible that both stories are true and that the scar on his left is from his dad and the right one was self inflicted.
My favorite scene is a tie between the money burning scene and Joker visiting Two-Face in the hospital.
In case you missed it Joker purposely mixed up Rachel and Harvey's locations. So when Batman went to rescue Rachel he unknowingly ended up at Harvey's location - now too late to save Rachel. Just another sick twist of the knife that is the Joker's MO.
We'll never know, but I bet the boats had their own detonators too. That seems like The Joker's sense of humour.
@@Sinewmire I thought right at the end when he's got Batman pinned down, Joker is disappointed the boats don't blow each other up, so reaches for his own switch.
@@coco-e5s yes, he also has his own detonator.
@Coco Young You are correct. I don't know how people don't get it the first time.
Joker: "In their last moments, people show you who they Really are."
Joker: Laughs maniacally as he is falling to his death. He thought he got Batman to break his one rule.
another thing thats easy to miss, when Joker was talking to Harvey in the hospital, joker is holding the hammer of the revolver with his finger, so even if harvey pulled the trigger, it wouldnt have fired. joker would have lived no matter what the coin landed on.
His passing just added a different level of anxiety about the joker going into the movie. Phenomenal performance
There's a story that during the party scene where Joker comes looking for Harvey, the first take they did, Michael Caine forgot his lines because Heath terrified him so much. Heath Ledger was amazing in this movie. It's terrible that he died before it was released in theaters and people lost their minds over it. He won a Golden Globe, SAG and Oscar for playing him. Christopher Nolan, Gary Oldman and his family accepted on his behalf for each award.
Just to expand on what you said, it wasn't only that Michael Caine was terrified, he hadn't seen Ledger with the make-up on, he had no idea what the Joker would look like, so he was absolutely shocked (you can see Caine just staring at Ledger as Joker walks around).
Same for Rachel in the same scene, Maggie Gyllenhaal hadn't seen Ledger in makeup either, and Joker wasn't supposed to force Rachel to "look at me", but Ledger had to because Gyllenhaal was genuinely frightened and wouldn't look at him.
A story? Michael Caine himself said it in an interview
@@Enrique-Garcia To imagine Heath Ledger kissed Jake , Maggie's brother.
@@Dr.SyedSaifAbbasNaqvi Lol. I never thought of that.
That Michael Caine thing is not true. If he had lines he woulda had many takes to say em
The licking that Heath was doing was partially because the scar prosthetics would come loose, and he found if he licked them it helped them to stay on, so he worked that into his performance. Just another reason he was a brilliant actor.
The old guy that Joker threatens at Harvey's fundraiser is Senior Vermont Senator Patrick Leahy, who is a huge Batman fan and has done cameos before.
Also, during the interrogation scene at the police lockup, he told Christian to actually hit him to make his performance truly real.
As to the Joker's origin story, in the comics he's always preferred that if he did have one, that it be multiple choice. He tells different stories tailored to his audience to see the reaction they have to it. For funsies.
That Hospital explosion scene is honestly one of the best moments ever in cinema.
RIP Heath Ledger.
It was amazing when they blew it up here in Chicago.
@@adrianjames5970 chill out
@@adrianjames5970 - umm…I was commenting on them actually blowing up the hospital here in Chicago and how amazing that morning was. Not really sure where that reaction came from, but everyone is entitled to their own opinion.
If I remember correctly that was debunked. It definitely was planned and it just looks like improv. The would make sure everything was setup correctly since they only have one shot and it wouldn’t just have a delay like that unless they intentionally added one.
@@warhawk_yt ah yes, the "its debunked, but there is no way in hell im posting a source, because why would i need to back up My claims" crowd...
I live in Chicago where The Dark Knight was filmed. It was amazing because each night the news would be reporting and showing video of the bat mobile crashing through the streets. They filmed right in the Loop, the financial district as well as in a place called Lower Wacker, where there is an entire street system under the city. And yes, they did blow up a building that stood in place of the hospital. It was the Brach’s Chocolate Factory that was due to be demolished anyways. So they took advantage of that opportunity. It was very cool coming into work and seeing police cars lined up painted with Gotham Police on them each day as well as other set pieces and places. Chicago made a perfect backdrop for Gotham City.
That is. Lived in Chicago my whole life but didn't see that.
I'm jealous just reading that lol
My husband would see them filming while he walked to work. And what I really loved is they made the city a character too. With as much as they used Chicago, it made Gotham feel like a lived in place.
Didn't they do spot of filming in pittsburgh?
Heath Ledger’s Joker has got to be the greatest acting performance in film history, in my opinion. I’ve never in my life seen such a well detailed, lived in, and absolutely flawless performance as this role. Absolutely incredible every single time I see it.
Heaths was amazing but Jaoquin was another level. & definitely not in film history, thats a big statement
Huh? Try Philip Seymour Hoffman, Dustin Hoffman, DeNiro, Lawrence Oliver, Marlon Brando in several films.
Guys we get it, you disagree. That’s why I literally said that it’s my opinion. So idk why you’re trying to be upset or convince me or something like that lol you’ve got your opinions, mine’s still mine.
@@jakewhite1760 lol nah we’re not trying yo convince u, u just haven’t watched a lot of movies thats all
@@sirsnow371 I’ve watched plenty of movies, my opinion is still what it is. Quit assuming stuff about me or trying to condescend just cause I think differently lol
Everyone says the MCU and DCEU have a villain problem. This film and Heath's performance specifically is the reason. In 2008 we saw the perfect presentation of a comic villain, it's going to be a long time, if ever, until someone live up to being the bad guy just so well.
Also really helps that Bale knocked it out of the park at the same time.
willam dafoes goblin is also fantastic
Gotta throw it out there that the only reason Aaron Eckhart's Harvey Dent isn't considered the best comic book villain adaptation is because even his brilliant performance is outshone by Ledger's Joker.
Gary Oldman was also fantastic. In all 3 really, but especially in this one I think.
@@adamhughes4387 Yeah, in any other film...
The supporting cast in this film, brought their A-game. Which is a huge credit to the cast, the director and the script writers. Everyone was on form for this. Heath just took it to another level.
The whole story about the explosives failing in the hospital scene, but he not only didn't blow it, but adlibbed 100% in character when a once in a life time shot was being recorded. That alone proves how special he was to this film. The Oscar was more than earned by his performance. An Oscar for a comic book movie, I don't expect to see that again in my life time.
Cain as Alfred, again was perfect in this one, but his performance in Rises! To this day he crushes me. No one has ever managed to portray the love and respect for his guardian that these three films do.
Wilson fisk in daredevil...
@@Petrixxxxxxx D'Onofrio, just like Hiddleston had time and space to develop their character. Ledger had a single film.
That is no shade on either of those actors, both have created some of the best villains ever. But not an Oscar winning villain in their first try.
His laugh as the Joker still gives me chills every time.
Especially when he's getting his ass kicked and he's just laughing hysterically.
Heath Ledger set the bar so high.
also a piece that I missed the first few times I watched it. when he burns the money, Lao is sitting on top of it. So he burned him alive with the money.
The term “masterpiece” gets thrown around quite a bit these days, but I think it’s just to say that this performance was Heath Ledger’s masterpiece, in the traditional sense of the word…his performance is unparalleled in any other performance of the Joker.
Truly. ❤️
This movie taught me a lot about judging actors before seeing the performance. Hardly any one will admit to it nowadays, but when Heath was first announced as the Joker there was a lot of backlash (including me) whose first response was "Seriously? The guy from Brokeback Mountain and Knight's Tale?" but then the trailers showed the "LOOK AT ME" recording and we all began to get hyped for it, which ultimately soared when the news he'd passed came. A ton of people went through this process of having low expectations to high expectations leading up to the release and it's really phenomenal that I've never heard any one say they disliked Heath's Joker despite all the pre/post hype surrounding the film.
Nowadays when casting is announced and there's outrage or doubt like Affleck as Batman or Holland as Drake or etc, I immediately dismiss it and save my judgement for when I actually see it.
Huge huge backlash.
The internet was a lot smaller then but it was so anti the casting.
Probably didn’t help that his prior role was as a gay cowboy.
Coming after Jack Nicholson’s Joker, it would be fair to say expectations were very low.
To get an Academy award in acting for a superhero movie shows that people couldn’t have been more wrong. The fact he died before release leaving his 2 year old daughter was tragic.
@@jspettifer i like how people talk about Brokeback Mountain as if it wasnt a great movie with phenomenal acting 🙄
@@flapjackalopis711 Seriously I thought we were past this casual homophobia shit.
Spot on, except for one thing. Everybody admits being at the very LEAST, skeptical about Ledger. Haven't heard ONE person say they this coming. Because I'd smack the liar.
@@flapjackalopis711 it's amazing people can't grasp that these are professional ACTORS.
The way Ledger says “LOOK AT ME” is fucking terrifying
I love it... Lol I kinda find it a little hot but I'mma shut up
Fun fact, apparently that video was originally gonna look much different, with red lighting and such, but Ledger went to Nolan and said that felt too planned for the Joker, and asked to direct it himself. The result with the meat locker and shaky cam was so good Nolan let Ledger direct the second homemade vid of Engel reading the Joker's threat to Gotham by himself.
It always breaks my heart whenever I remember that Heath never got to see how much people loved his work in the movie. He would've been so happy and proud. It's truly devastating that he passed at such a young age. What a brilliant and amazingly talented man he was💔
“He doesn’t make a choice he just flips the coin” actually he was making his own choices up until then. Remember it’s a 2 headed coin so he would always make what he thought the ideal outcome was heads. He always gave everyone else the illusion of fate or the illusion of chance, but once he and the coin got burned he decided to actually leave it to fate. Burned is an act of evil and unburned is an act of relative good. It’s a very interesting character arc
“Wait is all of that real” yup. They apparently blew up an abandoned candy factory for real for that sequence
It’s such a shame Heath Ledger passed before this movie’s release. He never got to see how much people loved his performance and how it took pop culture by storm. It was said he was gonna return in Dark Knight Rises and I can only imagine how much better and/or different that movie would’ve been with him in it. What a legend
Y'know, I'd watched TDK soooo many times over the last 12 years, to the point of being done with it. Now watching you see this for the first time and seeing your sheer excitement brought me back to that first time in the cinema for me in 2008. I really want to watch it again now, so thanks for that!
The chills, seeing this in theaters for the first time in a packed auditorium, when Gordon says at the end, "...a Dark Knight." *Title Card*
The lip licking came from heath ledger having to lick the prosthetic scars to restick them when they came loose. It happened so often, he ended up making it into part of the character's mannerisms.
A detail that I love in a scene is when the Joker is with Harvey Dent in the hospital room. When he gives harvey that gun, puts it on his own head and tells Harvey to pull the trigger, if you look closely you see the Joker is actually holding the "hammer" of the gun, so even if Harvey had pulled the trigger he was prepared. Goes to show that the Joker doesnt deal with chance, he as it all planned.
It's the little details I love in this movie. The roadblock made from a burning fire truck. The sLaughter truck. And the little traps, like that Joker made Batman choose... but lied about which person was at which location.
You left out my favorite bit from the boats sequence though. Where the big prisoner talks the guard into handing over the detonator... then tosses it.
I agree, I watched the movies countless times back to back. I also noticed that some of the "belongings" in Bruce's house, for example a picture frame of his parents from the first movie, is in the third movie as well except this time it is shattered. The pearl necklace that his father gave his mother that night also makes an appearance in the third film.
RIP Tom "Tiny" Lister aka Zeus aka Deebo
Heath Ledger's performance in this film is beyond brilliant. It's truly the stuff of legends and I will forever be sad that he did not live to see his *much* deserved Oscar win.
Fun fact: the whole why so serious scene with Rachel was completely improvised by Leger, her look of confusion to the side is actually legit concern looking at the production team.
Yeah. Evidently she was actually disturbed by him in that scene because she wasn't prepared for his performance.
Seb watching your reactions have been almost as great as watching the films for the first time. its like im watching them over again with you.
This is just one of those movies that stay just as good or even gets even better each time that I watch it. Fucking phenomenal.
A fun fact: Heath Ledger directed the hostage video footage stuff himself since he was always in love with the art of filmmaking and directing. And they loved it so much they included it in the movie exactly as he made it. Heath Ledger will always be my favorite actor, and this movie will always be special to me because of him. Most people think that this was his last role but his last role was actually in The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus which he passed away before completing. Jude Law, Johnny Depp, and Colin Farrell all took over Heath Ledger's character to represent different "dream sequence" versions of his character. They also took the proceeds they made from being in the movie and gave it to Matilda Ledger, Heath's daughter!
20:31 “He just said he’s gonna need something a lot bigger. And he whips that out.”
-SebScreen 2021
I was fortunate enough not only to see this one in theatres, but all 3 of them in a single-night screening, when Rises premiered. At the end of the last scene with the Joker, everyone in the theatre gave Ledger a standing ovation.
The scene where Heath Leathers joker is fiddling with the detonator is an actual blooper because the explosion was delayed so the actor improvised and the director loved it so much he kept it in
Heath’s performance in this is iconic
It was nothing short of a masterpiece but I like Hamil a lot more
Its truly too good to be true. If you look at it now it's unparalleled.
Heath Ledger did amazing in this film, glad you’re reacting to it!
In Batman: The Killing Joke the Joker does give a bit of insight onto his origins but gives different explanations and says that if he's going to have a past it might as well be multiple choice.
My personal theory is he no longer remembers his past, either through trauma or otherwise being that crazy he genuinely can't remember anymore so just makes up whatever suits the situation to get the best reaction. Like he tells the mob boss a story about an abusive father to scare him, but tries to tell Rachel a more sympathetic story.
Rewatching this I forget the amount of respect that Harvey and Bruce had for each other. They both see the other as absolutely crucial for saving Gotham. They try to fall on their own swords for the sake of the other in several cases, and the other swoops in to take the hit instead. It's super nice to see. Especially since they played him off as "the competition" at first, basically showing the skepticism that Bruce had initially.
When Harvey shot Batman you said "well we know he's bulletproof right?" Earlier in the movie, Lucius told Batman that separating the armor plates in the new suit to allow Batman to move around better would make him "more vulnerable to knives and gunfire". The suit may offer some protection but he definitely is gonna have some damage from that gunshot.
''You got a little fight in you... i like it-''
''THEN YOU'RE GONNA LOVE ME''
I love that line
I will never stop missing Heath. He was such a legend! RIP
A good scene I love is when joker tells the cop in the interrogation room that people show you who they really are in their last moments, and he's laughing as he's falling to his death at the end.
I went to the midnight screening premiere of this movie at IMAX and at the end of the film everyone was just jaws on the floor looking at each other in stunned silence. We couldn't believe how unbelievably great this movie was. Everyone went into this movie with high expectations because of Batman Begins and then the movie just blew all of those expectations out of the water. This was an epic crime drama masterpiece and back then nobody could have ever expected that a comic book film could ever possibly be this great. It transcended the genre and is still to this day IMO the best comic book movie of all time. Hopefully, the upcoming "The Batman" is just as good.
Interesting fact about the Jokers music. To get that distinctive sound from the violins, they dragged razor blades across the strings.
I love that the Joker's story about how he got the scars changes every time he tells it. It's right out of the comics. The Joker always preferred his past to be "multiple choice."
"Its not about the money, its about sending a message" just brilliant
after all the hype, it was truly an experience to watch this at the cinemas. Heath is just so fantastic in this, it's insane.
In case it hasn’t come up, the skyhook balloon thing actually does exist, called the Fulton Extraction System. US Air Force, Navy and CIA have used it from 1965 to 96 to get important people (spies, etc) out of places without needing to land by just dropping a package with cold weather gear, harness, the balloon, and the compressed gas and then flying a modified cargo plane over. Apparently a similar thing was used even in WWII.
at 11:30 that whole tape but specifically the, “LOOK AT ME” sends chills down my spine every time i watch it. one of my favorite cbm ever. RIP Heath Ledger ❤
Thank you Seb for this Christmas present. The single greatest superhero movie of all time. And an Oscar winning performance for Ledger. Deservedly. Brings tears to my eyes every time. And yes, best opening of any film ever. I have a massive poster of that opening shot from behind the Joker standing on the street.
So happy that you loved this movie!! Just like you said after last week, it’s hard to imagine that it gets better than Batman Begins, but this movie was literally another level. It is just perfect and Heath Ledger blew me away!
I love how every one of The Joker's games is about proving that everyone is, or can be, a murderer, much as in The Killing Joke, be it the robbers in the opening, or making Batman choose who lives and dies.
2:28 ..... "What doesn't kill you, simply makes you stranger"..... Sounds like a cool line, right?..... But it's more than that. That simple line recaps everything this Joker stands for. By simply change the "o" of stronger, he completely change the meaning of the phrase, a concept that we see along the movie. By simply taking down a few people, the whole city crumbles into chaos, just as the Joker wants to. He even repeat the same joke with "S-laughter is the best medicine"...... That's a thing only great comedians can reach; simple and yet efective.......
This is one of my favorite movies. When I saw it in theaters, people clapped and hollered for that semi truck scene.
The building in the hospital explosion was the old Brach's candy factory.
Heath Ledger's performance as the Joker is probably one of the best acting performances we'll ever see in a superhero movie and honestly in any genre of movies. He truly embodied the clown so perfectly and he even got an Oscar posthumously for the performance. It's terribly sad that his struggle with addiction took his life but his legacy definitely lives on.
That hospital explosion scene was so fucking amazing.
The effects team came up with the idea of blowing up a few of the bombs, then pretending that they had failed, to only later blow up the real big stuff. As a result, they were able to do the whole fucking thing in a single shot and actually have Heath Ledger do it instead of using a stunt double, because by the time the actual explosion demolished the building he'd be out.
God I miss practical effects.
I get chills and goosebumps every single time I watch this movie!
Yay! I've been waiting for this one. Hands down this film is perfection.
P.S
I'm predicting this reaction is going to get a ton of views 😉
No film is perfection imo.
@@manvirshergill1739 joke
Fun fact, the scars on the jokers face is called a Glasgow Smile. originated in Glasgow Scotland in the early 1900's, a razor would be used to slit the cheeck from mouth to ear. The actor Tommy Flanagan has the scar after being attacked outside a nightclub in Glasgow.
Anyone else get the idea that the ferries each had THEIR OWN detonator? --- In analyzing the Joker's character, I believe he would have set it up that way because he thought it would be amusing / funny.
The way you said "you can't mess up the shot" literally right before the explosions at the hospital. Heath Ledger just kept fiddling with the remote. It made that ill timing look so much more real!!
The coolest part is the amount of theorizing that's been going on since then on Joker's origins and motivations. He's so ambiguous in the movie, yet so brilliant. Hands down one of the best characters in all of cinema.
Also respect for how you pick up on Joker lying about not having a plan. I didn't really think about it at first, when the movie released all the way back in 2008, but it makes more sense than "mad dog".
Watching this movie put a smile on my face
At 13:56 that look from Maggie Gylenhaal wasn’t acting. She was terrified of Ledger’s Joker and was looking to the director off camera for help.
21:14 I *love* Batman's tech and gadgets. I also love that he has a backup plan for everything lol.
That hospital explosion was real and improvised by heath ledger when the remote didn’t detonate all the bombs
This is false info. There was no technical problem, it was intentionally delayed. Nolan himself said this in the behind the scenes featurette. The scene was rehearsed several times before the real take with explosions.
Heath Ledger was such an awesome actor. Who knows how many more Oscars where in his future. The sky was the limit. RIP.
"He loves his establishing shots..." --- I do too, since this was predominantly shot in my favorite city of Chicago.
Another detail you may have missed, when Joker is making Harvey hold a gun to his head and letting the coin decide, you can see his thumb/finger on the hammer, so even if the coin had landed on the "kill" side, it wouldn't have fired. Joker was always in control, never leaving anything to chance.
Idk if anyone acknowledges this but the bat garage with the lights for a ceiling is really badass I'd live there hopefully the new batman movie can top it off
in a certain part of the movie it is said that the joker wears war makeup, that explains a lot about him, his taste for knives and ease in handling weapons. he may have once been an old soldier who freaked out at everything he saw on the battlefield.
I don't know how well known it is, but the scene where Gordan gets promoted and the joker just started clapping along with the rest of the people in the room was entirely improvised and so was everyone's face when it shows their reaction. It just shows how great heath ledger was when he can even creep out the other actors so easily.
Perfect reaction as always 💛 Regarding why Batman went to save Dent, he thought he was going to get Rachel, the Joker gave him the opposite address on purpose
Dark Knight fun fact!: did you know that the health ledger Joker is a complete parallel to the Jack Nicholson Joker from Batman 89? As a matter of fact, 89 joker wants the Batman dead and unmasked, while Ledger doesn't want to.
Nicholson joker starts with a more subbtle approach to ruin Gotham starting by poisoning house hold products and then the city, while Ledger goes full on berserk!
Also when Batman ties joker up side down in TDK, in Batman 89 He let's joker fall after tying him up a gargoyle, thus killing him.
This trilogy is a cinematic masterpiece !!!
In the scene of Joker talking to Rachel, Heath played the Joker so well that the Actress playing Rachel said she was horrified for real. So the tears and horror you see in her eyes is genuine.
He was astonishing in that scene
@@stephenglasse9756for real!
My favorite scene is batman interrogation which also happens to be the clip they showed at the oscars when Heaths name was announced for the award
The way you feel about Chris Evans is how I felt about Christian Bale in his prime.
Yes, they actually blew up an abandoned hospital for that scene. Those car chase scenes, physical stunts-- no cgi.
Best Batman movie EVER AND FOREVER !
The interrogation scene is one of the best scenes ever filmed in the history of movies. That Joker performance is out of this world amazing!
Did you know by the explosion in the hospital. When the explosions didn’t work. That was real. It didn’t work. But he played like it was in the film.
For the hospital scene... A hospital was gonna be destroyed anyways around the same time, so they took advantage of it and literally blew up a hospital.
"YOU THINK YOU CAN JUST STEAL FROM US AND WAKE AWAY?!"
"Yeah."
when you workout, put on the Dark Knight main theme song. You'll feel like Batman. By the way, Hans Zimmer is performing like 3 shows in London next March.
20:06 this was the plan to determine that. Earlier at the party when Beuce saved Rachel, Joker initially thought it was Harvey since Harvey was absent when Joker came in (Joker confirms this later on in the interrogation scene).
Because with the truck plan, one of 2 things will happen.
1. Batman will not come to the rescue because Harvey is Batman.
2. Batman comes to rescue Harvey confirming Harvey isn't Batman.
this was so satisfying to watch I Love The Dark Knight it is a film i have watched more times than i can count and your reaction to it proves it wasn't just insanity to do so. glad you're getting to experience these films
" I thought he said it was his father who...' As Joker said in The Killing Joke "If I have to have a past, I preferer it to be multiple choice"
A lot, a lot of the stuff Joker says in the interrogation room to Batman is super relevant to Dark Knight Rises, which is amazing..
Also the first hospital explosion scene was all real, 1 take, some of those explosives didn't go off, that's why Heath had to improv by fiddling with the detonator until they got it to explode.
*I got to see this movie a month early at a special premier back in 2008.* I remember going to school the next day and everyone asked me what happened, but no one believed me when I told them a few points (I didn’t spoil anything major).
fun fact: When joker clapped for officer gordon it was heath ledgers idea and it scared everyone but they decided to keep it in the film, also when joker blowed up the hospital heath ledger thought it would be more than just one so he kept pushing the button and then thats when it blows and they decided to keep it in
I loved the Bat-Cycle, with his cape billowing behind him, especially through the shopping mall.
8:50 "Apply your own damn suntan lotion" in Russian is "Нанести свой собственный чертов лосьон для загара".
There you go Alfred.
This movie is so good I don’t even use the common “it’s a comic book movie” this movie is in my top 2 with no way home and I love it more every time I see it. With all the great characters, world building and just Christopher Nolan. Period. Also the score is some of the best ever. Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard are so good and create the most hype moments. Everything is just so perfect.
The bit with Joker licking his lips all the time was accidental; Ledger couldn't get used to the makeup bits used for the scars.
Regal Cinemas is showing this tomorrow and Thursday as part of their Film Fest that they’re doing for Christopher Nolan and I’ve got my tickets for tomorrow night.
The scene where the Joker grabs Rachel and starts to speak about his scars is so good, cause is improv, Maggy says she didnt expect that and that she was truly scared when he put that knife so close to her face - thats how good of an actor was he bro...
FYI. when the joker started clapping when Gordon got the promotion to commissioner that was improvised by heath ledger
I feel like I could watch Heath Ledger's Joker performance on repeat forever. It's so damn good!
i still cannot believe that heath ledger’s real voice is actually very deep and very australian. he created an entirely new and unique joker voice, not just in monotone, but in varying pitch as well. he was the master of accents and i don’t know why people never acknowledge it!!
A fun comic series was Flashpoint Paradox where Bruce died instead of his parents. Thomas Wayne became the batman and Martha Wayne became the Joker. The long lost lovers comment reminded me of that.
The best way to watch this is in IMAX or 3d. Some of those scenes are really well done. One of the best action movies ever made where the CG isn't totally distracting.
Not sure if you caught on, but Joker lied to Batman when he told him where Harvey and Rachael were because he knew Batman would go after Racheal.
At 0:40 there's a Spider-Man 3 poster in the background
The first scene Heath Ledger and Christian Bale shoot together was the interrogation scene and Heath asked him to punch him for real
A lot of what Heath did was improvised
Heath passed away a few month before this movie came out, so he never saw the movie(the only scene he saw was the first scene in the bank)
For the 3rd film Nolan wanted it to be about the Joker's trial , and harley Quinn was also gonna appear but since Heath died he changed it so the movie is about Bane(played by Tom Hardy)
I was really looking forward to watching this film when it came out in cinemas and it’s one of few films where I still looked forward to watching it a second time even more.
The reason he gives a different meaning everytime he asks someone if they want to know how he got those scars is so he can show that anyone can become him. His entire ideology in this movie is if anyone is pushed hard enough they will crumble. Harvy Dent is the best case of this