Pure Evil - The Joker

I had the pleasure of watching The Dark Knight for the second time today and I was blow away all over again by the performance of Heath Ledger as the Joker. It has been some time since I have witnessed a character completely embody the word evil in such a recklessly psychotic way. Hannibal Lecter was evil but he was more methodical and calculated, the Joker was in your face evil. The performance left me wanting to see and hear more of this character, which in my opinion has been immortalized by Heath Ledger. The original Joker was Jack Nicholson but I doubt even he would have a problem admitting that Heath was a better Joker. The performance was scary yet riveting and it compelled me to watch more.

Now you may think that I am merely jumping on the bandwagon, showering praises on the late Mr. Ledger who is now being held firmly in the bosom of all film critics and film goers but the fact of the matter is that his performance was master class. When I watched the movie the first time I forgot that I was watching Heath Ledger and all I saw was the Joker character. When he appeared in the screen the background faded away and all I was concerned with was what the Joker had to say and what he did. For me he stole the show and for this reason I feel that the Joker character should not be brought back in the next Batman movie or at least for a long time as the actor who attempts to follow in heath’s footsteps will surely fall short and probably turn into the next George Lazenby.

As I watched the Joker carrying out his duties as an “agent of chaos” fighting for the soul of Gotham City I wondered if pure evil of such a magnitude actually exists? Are there men (or women) who are so evil that they just want to watch the world burn? Can a man or women cause such anarchy that leaves us running around like headless chickens?

Throughout history we have been treated to a multitude of evil men whose actions cannot be explained through rational thought and ideals. Men who committed acts so vile and heinous against human nature that they will never be forgotten. Men who do not play by the rules that we hold so dear and have dedicated their lives to destroying the very fabric of human nature for one reason or the other have existed and will exist till the end of days. Were they our version of the Joker? And in that case who is our Dark Knight?

I know the Joker is a fictional character however we all know fact is stranger than fiction, so is it so far fetched that men like the Joker exist? Would such a person ever exist in our “perfect” world plagued by madness? The Joker was driven by no motive or worldly gain but by the need to create anarchy just for the sake of it. He rebelled against societies rules and showed people what fear is. He could not be understood and that’s why he could not be defeated, as he had nothing to loose and that is the most dangerous type of man.

Now I think I speak for everyone by saying that evil exists but is it created or born? Can we say for certain that so and so is evil incarnate and does this depend on which side of the looking glass you choose to see the world from? I believe that evil is born more often then it is created and even so it depends on the environment such an individual grows up in. Now you psychologists out there will accuse me of sitting on the nature vs. nurture debate but I think both play a role. Another theory is that we all have that tendency for evil in us but it’s the choices we make that keep us on one side of the divide or the other. All we need is a little push and we will fall into madness ala Harvey Dent.

We see shades of evil everyday in some form or the other but when confronted with such reckless evil I shudder to think what our reaction would be. So Does Pure Evil Exist?


Why so Serious???
The Lone Writer