Heath Ledger, What an Actor!!! THE DARK KNIGHT | FIRST TIME WATCHING | Patreon Picked Film 

While Ledger's performance was on another level, Aaron Eckhart's portrayal of Harvey Dent (two face) is criminally underrated and certainly doesn't get the credit it deserves. He absolutely nailed the role of tragic hero to near perfection in this movie.

" You either die hero, or you live long enough to see yourself become a villain." Coolest line🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

Loved it when you asked "what Jokers Motive is" and you get the Alfred line later "Some men just want to watch the world burn" Such brilliant film making from Nolan

"I believe what doesn't kill you simply makes you, *stranger* ". Chills everytime at that reveal and the change in sound uptake to make his voice sound much more dark and powerful at that word.

Fun Fact: The Joker’s name tag as a nurse is “Matilda”, Heath’s baby daughter at the time.

This is my fav movie ever. Heat's performance was just perfect. Absolutely amazing

Your breakdown for the way Batman and the Joker "need" each other was great! Loving your reactions, thank you!!

the party scene where The Joker interacts with Rachel was the first time Maggie Gyllenhaal saw Heath's makeup in person. That entire scene was unexpected and Heath started doing his lines to her without her knowing, and that entire scene is her real reaction to seeing him for the first time. He is my favorite actor of all time it makes me so sad every time i think about it.

Stay with Christopher Nolan,Hans Zimmer, you won’t be disappointed !😊

32:05 is such a funny meme by now but I feel like people genuinely don’t understand why Harvey didn’t recognize him. He’s heavily sedated, even without being under medication whenever we wake up from a nap it’s like we’re in a twilight zone lol. Still a funny ass meme, but it makes total sense.

Finally introduced to the Joker. This is a very different on the character that in many ways is still comic accurate but Heath puts his own spin on the character. Up until till this point there's been two main live action Joker those being Cesar Julio Romero from the 1960s Batman TV show and film who is much closer to the fun and campy Silver age Joker. Then we have Jack Nicholson who played the Joker in Tim Burton's 1989 Batman film that brought Batman back to the Gothic darkness on the big screen inspired by comics like The Killing Joke that released a year before. Burtons Batman was much more stylized, Gothic, and timeless a mix of darkness and the colourful madness of the Joker. Not live action but Mark Hamill as the Joker in Batman Animated Series (1992) a show heavily inspired visually by the Burton films but put it's own spin on everything by diving deeper into the timeless look and feel. Mark Hamill is credited as the best Joker in any media and has voiced the character for over 30 years now from the DCAU (DC Animated Universe) to the Arkham Video Games. DCAU is cool as it's all connected so we get to see characters like Joker show up in Superman's show teaming up with characters like Lex Luthor so it was like the MCU before the MCU was even a thing, same with the DC shared universe starting with Man of Steel. Yeah Rachel is a pretty disliked character. She's not even from the comics as well and there's been so many other amazing early love interests for Batman from the amazing Andrea Beaumont from Mask of the Phantasm (1993) to characters like Selina Kyle. Andrea Beaumont is the closet to Rachel in that she was an original character created for Mask of the Phantasm and acted as a young College friend of Bruce Wayne who then met years later.

I don't know if you do it on purpose or not, but the way you cut short your thoughts when something else happens on screen and distracts you is great to watch for some reason, really feels like you're paying attention. That and getting emotional without really trying to hide it makes for great viewing. Probably the most gratifying reaction content i've seen in a long time, keep it up ^^

I love seeing people watch this one for the first time. I’m a lifelong Batman fan and this is such an incredible adaptation of these characters. For me, watching this movie for the first time was just incredible. It ranks up there with the best of the Bat comics and had me floored. Seeing other people that may not be as familiar with the source material also be shaken by the power of this story and these incredible characters brings me so so so much joy. Really loved this reaction!

im really surprised at how she was silently crying during harvey and gordons family part. Ive never seen anyone with that reaction to it like that.

I was lucky enough to watch this on opening night in the theaters. Heath Ledger was absolutely spellbinding as The Joker, especially during the investigation scene. Aaron Eckhart was incredible as well; most audiences knew he'd end up as Two Face eventually, but far fewer expected the raw intensity that he brought to the role.

Fun Fact: The Joker’s mask in the bank robbery scene is an homage to the first appearance of Cesar Romero’s Joker in the 1960s Batman TV show.

The single greatest 'comic book' movie of all time. Still makes me cry seeing Ledger's acting in this. Because it's so good. One of my 5 movies I watch at least twice a year. You're great at this by the way. Very observant and thoughtful. Great work.

One of the most impressive performances in the history of cinema. Flawless. God I miss Heath. What an actor. RIP

This and ‘lords of dogtown’ where heath ledger plays skip engblom are my two favourites of his performances.

Y’know you actually bring up a good point about the love triangle I never really considered before: there is a certain disassociation with Rachel (partly because it’s a different actress) but it also speaks to each of their state of minds. Rachel and Bruce may be childhood friends but (like you said) she barely knows him at all but feels an obligation toward him even though she has a much healthier relationship with Harvey. Bruce sees Rachel as his one chance at a normal life (mostly because of the speech Harvey made: Batman is searching for a way out) and he sees Harvey as a worthy successor. Meanwhile Harvey is the complete outsider to their relationship caught in the crossfire between his love for Rachel, his budding competition with Wayne, deep admiration for Batman, and being secretly targeted by Joker It is such a toxic dynamic for all parties involved, you know it’s destined to go up in flames. My point is how Bruce sees Rachel in his mind is vastly different to what we the audience see. She’s grown beyond him.

Ledger famously locked himself away in a hotel room and maintained a diary to prepare for the role. He told Empire in a 2007 interview, “It’s a combination of reading all the comic books I could that were relevant to the script and then just closing my eyes and meditating on it. I sat around in a hotel room in London for about a month, locked myself away, formed a little diary and experimented with voices - it was important to try to find a somewhat iconic voice and laugh. He ended up landing more in the realm of a psychopath - someone with very little to no conscience towards his acts. Glimpses of the little journal showed images of hyenas, pictures of the character Alex DeLarge from the film A Clockwork Orange, and also handwritten dialogue. The final page of the diary had the words ‘bye bye’ written in large letters. He never broke character on set

It's crazy that you understood exactly the dynamic of Joker and Batman on your fitst watch, I know you're always paying attention and sometimes you misunderstand or you don't get something at first, but here you said it perfectly "Batman is the opposite of Joker and vice versa" and "Joker is proven wrong by the ships but Batman also gets proven wrong because Harvey ended up corrupted" What I love about this movie is that it implements a popular Batman villain and uses him to exemplify the difference between Batman and Joker. Bruce has that dark side that he keeps at bay and Joker is that unleashed darkness, Harvey is the symbiosis of both, the good and bad.

I really enjoyed her reaction. She was spot on so many times and it’s so refreshing watching someone who really has no idea what’s coming next. Loved this.

When an unstoppable force meets an immovable object. Absolutely love that description. The writing for this movie was excellent , and this was a fantastic reaction 🙏

The last coin flip nobody ever speaks on the significance. It landed heads up not by chance but because BATMAN took action to save the boy causing it to land how it did. Bit by chance but by choice. “It’s not who we are underneath, it’s what we DO that defines us.”

Heath Ledger, more than other actor I have seen in any other movie, is completely unrecognizable in this role. It's a chilling performance.

That moment Ledgers Joker said 'Its gaming time Bats!' was truly a moment in all of cinema

31:46 it’s more like “everything is…chaos” and that’s what Joker wants. This version of Joker is an “agent of chaos.” Spectacular movie!

You know...i watched all 3 movies ONCE and then did a repeat viewing, like 10 years later. Of the two, I VAGUELY remember 1 and 3, but recalled nearly ALL the details for #2.

One of the greatest comic book movies ever made. Stellar performances by Ledger, Eckhart and Bale. I still get chills when Joker is doing his slow laugh walking up on the mafia meeting. Just amazing. Looking forward to your reaction to Dark Knight Rises!

I love your reactions, so genuine, so real, it's great to see all the emotions you go thru watching a movie, i truly enjoy watching your reactions.

Your reactions are great, you don't talk over important scenes and you always have great insight. Plus that smile is contagious. You're doing it right. Thank you! New sub for sure!

When joker shows up at the party it is the first time that the actress who played Alfred and Rachel seen him in full costume, so the look she has when looking at him is genuine. Also the scene where joker is clapping in the cell was also improvised by Ledger and fit so well they kept it in the movie

Thank you, Stef, for sharing your reaction to "The Dark Knight." Michael Jai White(Gambol- "Enough from the clown!") starred in his own comic book movie, "Spawn."

7:25 LOL! Loved your reaction. How did you not laugh at that? 😂😂

genuine short and simple reaction im diggin it.

Hola Stefi, me encantó esa deducción sobre la caida del Joker riendo, como que por fin pudo corromper a Batman. En mi opinión, el Joker no sólo quiere que Batman viva porque quiere corromperlo, sino porque es su némesis, su "compañero", el Joker surge casi al mismo tiempo que surge Batman, Alfa y Omega, Luz y Oscuridad, quiere enfrentarse a Batman por deporte: "Tú eres la otra parte de mí" , "...Podríamos hacer esto eternamente." 2 frases de la película que explican que pasa por la cabeza del Joker. Me estoy conviertiendo en Fan de tus reacciones. Como apasionado del cine y futuro director/guionista, encontré una señorita que aprecia el buen arte. Saludos!

Batman not being able to turn his head is a trope of all the TV shows and movies.

Among all the other reactions i've seen...you're one of the fews who understood the dynamics between batman and joker...great job👌

The fact that health ledger . Trained his voice to sound deep and switch to high pitch when he laughed. ... a true actor .... may he rest in peace.

The Dark Knight is a favourite. I love the Joker's character. He's right about people, order and society (aspecially with contemporary society in the real world since DN) and I love the theory he is a war veteran that was abandoned by the state when he was on duty, and that's why he's fearless, traumatized, hates authority and is familiar with tactics, planning, guns and explosives and knows about torture tactics in the interview room. He's the only villain you wish would win /escape because he's more relatable than the hero, and it's a shame we never got follow up Joker movies out of Heath.

The interrogation scene was the first scene Bale and Ledger filmed together, and Heath insisted he get hit for real!

Those ending scenes with the music and the monologue gives me chill every damn time. What a masterpiece

Great reaction. Love all of these Batmans and all of Nolan’s stuff.

I've probably watched this movie about ten times all the way through as well as a few reactions to it and I've NEVER not gotten goose bumps at the end lol.

Damn...look at her smile at the end of the movie...we all had the same reaction 😂😂😂.. Thats a perfect movie right there

On Ledgers request. Bale is actually punching him. Makes it so real, what makes it demented is how he stays in character after getting punched and laughs his guts out.. Dude nailed it.

i watched this movie in theaters back in high school when it came out and it blew my mind, especially watching that amazing performance by heath ledger. This movie is in my top 5 it was great seeing the look on your face just really intrigued and loving this movie as a huge movie fan that brings me joy.

Heath's Joker is phenomenal. I also really loved 2face in this movie.

First time watcher and I like to say, I really like your style. I feel like your reactions are genuine and you got yourself a new subscriber!

Loved your reaction😊...if your into more batman stuff then Mask Of The Phantasm is a must watch but its an animation if thats your thing..looking forward to the next

Loved this trilogy so much! Definitely my favourite representation of the Batman story. Acting was also incredible. So good that I started a whole Batman inspired sleeve starting with heath ledger’s joker. Bane is next, then cat women & Batman haha

Hey Stef, if you were not aware of this fact: In order to get the joker down, Heath Ledger isolated himself in a hotel room (most likely months) and conducted his own research. He not only read some comics, but he also was also playing with a few potential voices to see which would fit for his performance. He even kept a diary with writing of his personal expierence through the process and even some pictures and quotes from real life psychos who influenced his joker. Also i don't know if this was true or not, but i even heard through that whole time being locked up in his hotel, he barely even slept so he could get the rugged and dead eye look. This man was the most committed actor to ever portray joker.

Everytime I watch this movie, I wonder how the story would have continued in the next movie. Heath makes me forget, he’s acting. I just the the Joker. That is very rare. Thanks for sharing your first time journey with this movie.

You could show me a million takes on the joker and i would still pick heaths, that voice, the look, the prescence, the quotes, what a legend we all miss you heath❤

The Joker is the ultimate agent of chaos, it is impossible to water down or define his motives or reasons to one simple thing.. he wants to disrupt and to destabilize, he wants to point a mirror onto the face of society and expose all of its flaws and hypocrisies. Batman fights for the soul of Gotham and and the good in its people, the Joker is the antithesis of this and wants to show that Gotham and its people are not worth saving, to prove Batmans cause is nothing more than a bad joke.

You really nailed the comparison Batman and Joker and their relationship with each other, and Joker trying to corrupt him. If you wanna see what happens when he does, look up the Batman Who Laughs. Chilling stuff.

Dvd bonus features include episodes of GOTHAM TONIGHT with the news anchor guy. There we learn that Batman had apprehended a mobster and that was "the hostile witness" in the courtroom scene.

@41:30 That smile at the end said it all!! This is a great movie! A great trilogy!!!

I'm old enough to have watched Batman since the original TV series. So I've seen a lot of portrayals of the joker. But this is my favorite portrayal of the villain. The only other one that comes close, is animated movie Ghost of the Phantasm. Which in my opinion portrays joker the most accurate.

While I was watching your reaction I typed up a comment about the Rachel and Batman (and Dent) relationships and how it's impossible to care about it when we haven't really been shown anything. Hard to care about things you have no investment in. But you covered it very well so... Great commentary to this great movie. Thanks, Stef. 🤗

At the end of BB Rachel basically told Bruce that he loved who Bruce was, not who he had become... at the end Bruce is the mask and Batman is who he really is, so they cant be together I guess

32:32 "it's crazy because he's....... he's like technically not wrong" Finally someone noticed that and actually listened to the meaning behind it. 100% sub worthy. When i noticed this after watching this the second time: "holy shi..... he is actually right!" And that for me, makes a movie so good, when the script has a deeper understanding.

This was the best birthday present i could've ever asked for, watching this movie in theaters was amazing 🙏🏽

I still can't fathom how Heath Ledger and the Joker is the same person even after all these years. Heath was very shy by nature and you can see in interviews especially his last ones how anxious he was with the attention, he was a kind man with a gentle soul. Just look at the young heartthrob in A Knights Tale and imagine that handsome guy as that psychopath. This is what acting is all about and I can see why he is Joaquin Phoenix's favorite actor.

You get so immersed, i love it

There was something between Bruce and Rachel, Although Bruce has two personalities he would have done everything to be present in his life, but Rachel had realised that it was not possible. Why spend the rest of my life with the man who would risk everything to be with me knowing that Gotham needs it most? Rachel couldn’t wait because she wouldn’t be with her to tell Bruce to stop being Batman but she knew that sooner or later Bruce wouldn’t need Batman anymore. She would have waited for him as a friend because I think she always saw him as a great friend but not the man she would spend the rest of her life with. I’m so happy that you liked this movie, this movie for many people meant a lot, for me for example it helped me in various dark moments, and now I’m still facing them like many others. You know what I say sometimes that inside each of us lies a dark knight.

Every time i see this film it breaks my heart so much that Heath is gone. He was a tremendous actor and i'm sure he had even more brilliant performances in him had he lived.

I think the character of Rachael helps to explain Bruce's evolution as to why he's mostly been a bachelor. He couldn't see that she never loved him because his own feelings for her clouded his better judgement and reasoning. Sort of how like all your friends and family can see your g/f is bad news except for you because of your own bleeding heart for her giving them all of the excuses and devil's advocate reasonings to abdicate them of any red flags. Batman can't afford to have such a huge blind spot of mental weakness.

As for the Bruce, Rachel, Dent thing. I can see your point about the lack of chemistry etc. I think it's because of the recast of Rachel in this movie. Perhaps others here know the details.

Well done. Such a great reaction. I'm also glad you seem to catch on to the story faster than anticipated.

15:40 the actress saw the joker for the first time in that scene so she was genuinely fearful great touch

Rachel tried to gave Bruce some hope (That he could be saved one day, she still feels something for him) that's why the letter. That she could save Bruce is why she held on even though it seems impossible. She's not bad person, so she tried to give Harvey (the same) hope by saying yes, so he had some goal to keep fighting for. She dies so Harvey lost all hope. Alfred burned the letter to give Bruce hope, even if it is false, at least something to go on. Alfred knew what Rachels intentions are because he feels the same. See you in the final one!

One of the greatest movies of all time! So many quotable lines!

Stef, I know it's jarring because the actress was changed for Rachel, but you have to keep in mind this movie is a continuation of their relationship from the first. I had the same sentiments when I first watched it, but if you rewatch it at some point, you'll realize how genius this movie really is. -Mason

“Those men made their choice” 1: They’re paying for those choices with their prison sentences 2: There’s also the captain, the ships crew, and the prison guards in the ship too, not just criminals

33:08 the bomb detonator really stopped working, that was heath ledger improvising. You said it 😂

Nice reaction Stef this is one of my favorite Batman movies I hoped you had a great watching it also I subscribed to your channel👍

Would you believe that the internet hated Heath Ledger for being cast as the joker? No one believed that the rom-com actor that was in Brokeback Mountain could play that character, but he proved them all wrong.

I love hearing your thoughts after the movie. It's totally good. You're right, Joker did win cause he corrupted Harvey. But then Batman ultimately won cause he's willing to sacrifice his reputation to save Harvey's. The Joker and Batman are perfect for each other. Also ya not a fan of Rachel, leading on both Harvey and Bruce

Ever since i was a child, it's showtime was my favorite

Heath Ledger passed away just after this movie..& it was SHOCKING & The really TRAGIC thing is... JOKER'S line to Batman " you & I are destined to do this forever" was in the movie for a reason... Because this is was exactly what was PLANNED to happen in the third movie by the director Nolan Joker was initially going to be in the third movie... ,But then Heath Ledger shockingly died! NO ONE saw that coming, the director never expected Heath to die, nor the co-writer, nor the crew... no one did & So after his death, The entire plan for the third movie was FORCIBLY changed with it NOT involving Joker at all(contradicting The line Joker said in The Dark Knight) & logically they didn't get anyone else to play Joker because no one could replicate what Heath SPECIFICALLY did with the character..he OWNED it & made a MASSIVE fanbase. The third movie took a radically different direction after his death.

Well reviewed and edited.

i will never stop being impressed by this film its perfect.

CAN'T WAIT AHHHHHH

I love it was the criminal who had too much honour to countenance blowing up the other ship

"It's lovely to see your beautiful faces?" Um, do you have powers we don't know about? Now I'm scared!

I just came across your channel recently and I have to say I love your reactions and analysis. Very well done, Stef! As far as the Bruce/Rachel dynamic goes, it felt more believable in Batman Begins because of him having been gone for so long prior, but in this movie it just wasn't there for me. I'm not sure if it was the way it was handled or if it was a lack of chemistry between Bale and Gyllenhaal, but it was the only flat part of the movie, imo. Looking forward to more! Since you've done some Batman films, maybe you'd like to give Man Of Steel a try. Henry Cavill's as good as Superman as Bale is as Batman.

tip for connecting better , do you not know where your camera is, look at it when talkin to "us" ? i hope you liked the movie, its an alltime great

I’m absolutely convinced, although we really don’t know, that the detonators for the boats would have blown up their own boat, not the other one. Consider: 1. Joker deliberately gives Batman reversed directions for where Rachel & Harvey were. Batman thought he was racing to save Rachel, which is why he hesitates when he busts the door open & sees Harvey. 2. Clowns are hostages, doctors are “targets”. Joker loves subverting people’s expectations. Oh, and I agree with all the love in the comments for all the memorable quotable lines, “You either die a hero…” etc, but I think the way he says (growls) “Look at me!” 13:19 - absolutely bone-chilling. Great reaction as usual, Stef!

I don't know if the other commenters remember this or not, but when this movie released in 2008, there was a small and vocal group of people on the internet who hated this movie because it wasn't like Batman (1989), which I love as well. They even had their own website. Haha. Back in 2008, I remember thinking that their opinion would not age well, and now in 2023, this is still an amazing movie.

I like your dog sleeping beside you while you are watching the greatest film of all time

34:51 Trivia: a lot of the film was done in NYC, and that’s the Staten Island Ferry in NY-- Staten Island being one of the 5 boroughs of NYC.

Ledger really embodied the character. Such an amazing performance. Ive always loved The Joker. Especially in Batman: The Animated Series. Voiced by Mark Hamil. I highly recommend it 👌.

Good observation about Rachel and her lack of impact. That could be an issue. But one problem I had with the film which was probably my only issue is I never bought Dent's fall which seemed too fast, too hard, and unearned. If Rachel was pregnant. And/or he became addicted to opioids which would make sense to dull the pain from his injury, then I think I would've believed his character's turn. The combination of both the trauma of loss/injustice and a chemical dependency would've made much more sense to me as an explanation of his transformation.

Best line of the movie "I'm not wearing hockey pads" 😂

I find it the most hilarious thing in the world that Michael Jai White(who played spawn) screamed "ENOUGH FROM THE CLOWN!" That should be his catch phrase, he has such a bad history with clowns lol.

Her smile at the end... *swoons*

How can Stef be not satisfied with the Jokers motives? That’s his thing. He has no agenda 😂

This film is a timeless masterpiece. No matter how many times you rewatch it or when you watch it, it always feels like the first time because its so good.