I couldn’t help but wonder if the many accolades for Heath Ledger’s performance in The Dark Knight were merely gestures of respect for a gifted actor who died tragically young.  Today I saw the film.  The praise for his portrayal of The Joker: well deserved.   While rest of the movie was good — about on par with Batman Begins — it was Ledger’s Joker that drove the picture to excellence.

See the film.  Very much worth the price of admission.