Give The Man The Oscar

I have watched Dark Knight three times since its release, twice in the theater and last night on DVD. I have yet to see Heath Ledger acting in that movie. There is no actor playing the Joker. There is an evil specter brought into the world of the living to terrify our souls by some Hollywood witchcraft.

As a movie, Dark Knight is closer to Sidney Lumet's classic Prince of The City, than an action movie. Dark Knight is about the dark side of urban living. It reminds me of why, on my nightly walk in Harlem, I stick to main avenues and not dare stroll down a side street. For down those side streets that are perfectly safe in day, may be lurking my worst fears. The movie is a masterpiece.

Heath Ledger turns Dark Knight into the best horror movie in a generation. It is as close to watching pure evil that I ever hope to come in contact with. It is Osama Bin Laden, Jack The Ripper, the Zodiac Killer and Son of Sam all combined in one. Ledger’s Joker is the nightmares of our dreams come alive.

Ledger forces us to contemplate - what if a serial killer did not hide out in caves in the mountains of Pakistan, or lurked in the shadows of urban neighborhoods stalking his victims? What if that serial killer was brazen enough to walk into the mid day light and declare "I am in charge"? What would we do? Would we, as the Joker told Batman, "turn on each other."?

In a memorable line when Batman asks "why do you want to kill me?" The Joker responds "I don’t want to kill you. You complete me." Maybe what is so frightening about Ledger’s performance is that deep down inside of each of us lives that evil. And that evil completes us.

Give the man the Oscar and cry that such a talent left us at the tender age of 28.