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Dead Actor Kills In The Dark Knight

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If reading reviews of the Dark Knight tells you one thing, it's that Heath Ledger's performance is spectacular—somewhere on par with Peter O'Toole in Lawrence of Arabia, Marlon Brando in On the Waterfront, and Tom Arnold in The Stupids. But we're wondering, is it really that great or is this post-mortem love a product of America's tendency to over-praise in death? Hell if we know, every showing of the damn movie is sold out until next month. At the very least, it's a question worth contemplating as you read these eulogies disguised as movie reviews:

"In this, the last performance he completed before his death, Ledger had a maniacal gusto inspired enough to suggest that he might have lived to be as audacious an actor as Marlon Brando, and maybe as great."&mdashEntertainment Weekly

"It's a tribute to Ledger's indelible work that he makes the viewer entirely forget the actor behind the cracked white makeup and blood-red rictus grin, so complete and frightening is his immersion in the role." —Variety

"it is perhaps the best compliment one can pay to this gifted young actor to say that his performance here would have cemented his legend even if he'd lived to see the film's release."—Village Voice

"Ledger's mesmerizingly damaged agent provocateur is the film's dark heart, a presence so malevolently unpredictable that it remains palpable even when he's not on screen."—TV Guide

"Ledger is so horrifically riveting you can't take your eyes off of him."—NY Daily News

"With his cracked white pancake makeup, black-rimmed eyes, smeared lipstick and greasy, greenish-tinged hair, The Joker bears no resemblance to the strikingly handsome actor who played him. In fact, the character is like nothing we've seen or heard before."—USA Today

"The late Heath Ledger will be missed because of his ability to make a green-haired clown into the most terrifying sight in recent memory."—eFilmCritic

"[Ledger's] performance is also the most interesting thing in the film, and when the Joker is absent, The Dark Knight loses most of its energy and dynamism."—Washington Post

"People will go on and on about Heath Ledger, and it's all very much warranted."—Money Cash Hos

"...Ledger has left us with one of the most brilliant performances ever put on film."—CrazedFanBoy.com

"[H]e is the greatest thing since the invention of cheese."—Radar

Comments

I'm glad I read this a few days ago: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/07/16/DDK011PHMA.DTL

"There has never been a situation quite like this: Audiences for the biggest blockbuster of the summer are flooding in, not just hoping an actor will be good but also expecting and needing him to be absolutely amazing. ... The truth is, Ledger's death was a surprise to everybody, and 'The Dark Knight' neither hints at it nor makes sense of it. Nothing could."

Posted by: afarerkind on July 18, 2008 3:29 PM

it's so classy when you spell out "mdash" the old-fashioned way.

Posted by: slinkimalinki on July 19, 2008 12:36 AM


Report This! I just red the news on the rich men seeking affairs club ★★★www.S u g a r d a d d y C o n n e c t. c o m★★★ and then i came here..

Posted by: leng on July 19, 2008 9:13 PM

Heath Ledger's performance in The Dark Knight actually was spectacular. Even if he was still alive I would say the same thing. His character was seamlessly played and whether or not he is alive now, he was alive when he played the part and I'm incredibly glad that he was the one to do it.

Posted by: hugthistree on July 21, 2008 12:04 AM

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