Even hidden behind a clown mask Ledger commands the scene with only the use of a few grunts, a twist of the head and a instantly iconic stuttering swagger.
As he removes the mask he utters the first of the multitude of subversively memorable quotes that sparkle darkly throughout the film as it totters between the gratuitously frenetic and the portentously profound: ‘Whatever doesn’t kill you, simply makes you… stranger.’
Despite the constant punctuation of frenzied gesticulation and demonic chuckling, the Joker’s speech often flickers into what resembles philosophical insights, albeit perverse ones. His twisted truths resemble common adages, distorted by the wildly all-consuming character that utters them.
The moments when this 'film on fear' truly horrifies are when his dictums appear to make sense and we find ourselves believing in him.
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