US WEEKLY Review: Heath Ledger's Joker a "Harrowing Screen Villain"

The late Heath Ledger shines in the Batman sequel, The Dark Knight , according to Us film critic Thelma Adams, who gave the flick (in theaters Friday) three stars. Suspenseful and stuffed with stars, the action flick finds Batman ( Christian Bale ) battling scar-faced nemesis The Joker ( Ledger ) while competing with the new DA in town ( Aaron Eckhart ) to woo back his true love ( Maggie Gyllenhaal ). See 18 pictures from The Dark Knight . As the maniacal scene-stealer, Ledger — almost unrecognizable beneath his pancake makeup — offers up a harrowing screen villain. He’s a world apart from his emotionally withdrawn Brokeback Mountain role, and odds are he’ll get a posthumous Oscar nod . Check out memorable photos of Heath Ledger through the years. Eckhart also gives a multi-layered, surprising performance, while Gyllenhaal steps confidently into the assistant DA role played so woodenly by Katie Holmes in 2005’s Batman Begins — though she has little to do but ... (link)