What did you think of Heath Ledger's performance in the Dark Knight?

I thought he was the only element worth watching in the film. The guy who played batman was, quite frankly, terrible. When I learned about Ledger's death, I was deeply saddened. He's one of the most talented people to ever grace Hollywood, who knows what he would have produced, had he lived longer.

• I hold it responsible for the shootings of last year, both in Aurora and in December. Kids hero worship it - the charismatic psychopath is the new Santa Claus.

• R1,I guess that's the downside to being such a great actor.

  OP

• awww r1 a movie caused shootings? I missed the mass slaughters in the UK and practically everywhere else that imports American movies.

• Heath was not equipped to deal with the impact of that character. For the sensitive kind person he was, it's fortunate he died when he did because the response of utter adoration toward the character (not the actor) that is STILL happening today would have fucked him up profoundly.

• OP, it's fucking 2013. Enough with this tired crap.

• R5, so what if it's 2013? I just finished watching the new batman film, the one released last year. Terrible, to say the least. Instantly forgettable. With this film, I watch it, and re-watch it. I swear this film got 1 billion in box office revenue because of Ledger. And the only reason the last film (the one I just watched) did also was because a. the second film was so great b. it was the "last" film in the series. Oh if Heath lived, then the last batman film could easily have toppled Avatar.

  OP

• I agree that Heath was not ready to play a disturbing and dark character. He was brilliant in Batman, but could have skipped it, and do a lighter character.

• He was the most interesting thing in the whole movie. Not a fan of those movies as there is too much contrivance and too little character in them. The joker was the only interesting character in the overlong bore.

  Anonymous

• Agree with the consensus. Ledger was brilliant and was the element that really elevated that film that it became such a huge phenomenon. Without him they would have still been successful but not nearly the runaway success.

• R1 Funny that a lot of people around the world watched that movie, but mass shooting mainly happen in the US. Americans are nuts in their view of everybody having a right to have firearms

  anonymous

• Well, is this typical of the Datalounge crowd? All responses rave and fawn over Heath Ledger ... yes, granted, he had a lot of problems; yes, he probably had some modicum of talent -- which we will now never see. But let's get realistic, boys: doesn't matter how much talent you have, doesn't matter what good looks you have or how much money you make. The question remains is just how fucking STUPID do you have to be to get involved in drugs? Man, it ain't rocket science to figure out that you're playing Russian roulette when you go down the drug root. So where was all the Hollywood glamour in HEATH'S death? Sorry ... but it's like that old law of nature: it's survival of the fittest. It's obvious that he wasn't one of the fittest around.

• r11, he died from an accidental overdose. The drugs he overdosed on were legal prescription drugs. He went to different doctors and did not mention his past drug history and many of the drugs he took were from the same family and they, together, killed him. He was not on weed or anything like that.

• Wtf R12? If illegals like weed or psychedelics were his vice he would be alive right now. Going to multiple doctors to get more prescription drugs than you should be taking is common addict behavior. Ledger was talented but he did have a real drug problem (he wasn't just prescription btw) and it killed him, as happens sometimes when people abuse dangerous drugs. Just because something can be prescribed does not mean it is less dangerous than things are illegal. Are you 12?!