Scenes We Love: The Dark Knight
Filed under: Fandom, Comic/Superhero/Geek, Trailers and Clips, Scenes We Love
I'll admit that when it comes to Batman, I'm a bit of a novice (I'll just take a moment to let you finish yelling at your monitor). Granted, I've been taking steps to remedy that situation over the past couple of years, but I'm still a long way from an expert. The reason I mention this is because I'm not steeped in Batman lore and I never really found The Joker to be all that scary. But because of Christopher Nolan and Heath Ledger, I now understand what was so creepy about that clown thanks to the interrogation scene in The Dark Knight.
It's one thing to hear someone say they have nothing to lose, but it's a hell of a lot more frightening to watch that philosophy in action. What makes this scene so memorable is that in under five minutes the Joker sums up everything about the Batman/Joker relationship that makes it one of the most fascinating in comic book history -- it's an interesting idea that the person who is supposed to save you might not be able to because of his moral code. Batman's adherence to the law is his Achilles' heel, and no matter how many times I have seen this movie, I can't help but crack a smile at Ledger's gleeful maniac turning the knife on our Caped Crusader with "You have nothing, nothing to threaten me with. Nothing to do with all your strength." And the scary thing is ... he's right.
After the jump: "I'm not a monster, I'm just ahead of the curve..."
The Dark Knight -- Interrogation Scene
As an added bonus: My first exposure to the criminal mastermind known as the Joker was set to Prince music -- you can probably understand why I wasn't shaking in my seat.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
9-26-2009 @ 5:37PM
DJ Heinlein said...
Excellent little article. I love Ledger's performance in this film. Utterly amazing!
Reply
9-26-2009 @ 7:22PM
Angel said...
You are absolutely right. That is one of the scenes that definitely stand out in the movie & no matter what other horrible things the Joker does through out the movie he manages to really give you chills by not doing anything but talking while Batman beats the crap out of him. He never throws a punch or makes any attempt to defend himself, he just talks & laughs & manages to scare the hell out of you.
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9-26-2009 @ 8:12PM
Enrique said...
Without a doubt, that is the scene that defines not only the Joker, but Batman as well. Their chemistry and relationship are the reasons why the Joker will never stop and why Batman will never quit.
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9-27-2009 @ 3:53AM
cablebfg said...
absolutely! This is pure perfection on what makes Joker the prime villain of Batman. One wants order, the other wants chaos.
9-26-2009 @ 9:18PM
Mattman said...
It's funny I actually watched the original Batman last night and found every scene with the Joker in it to be very light compared to the Joker in TDK. In Batman the Joker talks about ripping out Harvey Dents lungs but in TDK he does much more than just talk.
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9-27-2009 @ 4:22PM
Jerald Brewer said...
You nailed it. This is one of the great scenes in cinematic history. I've seen seen it at least 50 times & it NEVER loses its intensity. The only way that this scene could be topped is to film Frank Miller's "The Dark Knight Returns" page for page (The Joker killing everybody in the audience & on the set of the David Lutterman Show?),
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9-27-2009 @ 1:30AM
Joe said...
It's a pretty nice thought. Christopher Nolan said this is probably his favorite scene he ever shot.
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9-27-2009 @ 1:35PM
Niraj said...
If you liked this scene, you should read The Killing Joke...it's the 1988 comic book that Heath Ledger was given due to its discussion of the psychology between Batman and the Joker.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Batman:_The_Killing_Joke
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9-27-2009 @ 3:14PM
Bubbameister33 said...
The funny part to me is that he isn't even crazy. He just says and acts like he is.
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9-28-2009 @ 12:32AM
YouFaceTheTick said...
wow. i found the scene ludicrous. Extremely so. I was loving The Dark Knight until right about that point. So a guy in a funny black suit is allowed into a police interrogation room? WTF? And the imagery of Batman in harsh fluorescent lights was laugh out loud funny. It was like seeing Jason in Willy Wonka.
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9-29-2009 @ 1:04PM
Glass said...
Yes, because a guy dressed in a bat-suit jumping off of skyscrapers is so not ludicrous...
10-16-2009 @ 12:26AM
Joe Kerr* said...
Interrogation scene, my favorite indeed.
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