Entertainment correspondent, BBC News
First things first. There has been a lot of talk about whether the late Heath Ledger's turn as the Joker in The Dark Knight deserves an Oscar.
 Ledger's exuberant performance is of the kind loved by the Academy |
Well, there is an outstanding performance in the film, but it actually comes not from Ledger, but from Christian Bale.
That is not to say Ledger is not impressive. He is.
But his is a one-note performance - a pretty good note, it must be said - but one note nonetheless.
Bale's Bruce Wayne/Batman has layers of subtlety to it, and his portrayal of the superhero is so grounded in reality that you almost take it for granted, especially if you are being distracted by the sinister pyrotechnics of his nemesis.
That said, Ledger will still probably win, and Bale will not even be nominated.
Ledger's Joker is one of those performances that the Academy loves to reward, and the public loves to applaud, because it screams "look at me I'm acting".
It is a similar situation to the film Rain Man. There, everyone heaped praise on Dustin Hoffman's Raymond, while ignoring the much more subtle portrayal of his brother by Tom Cruise - the performance that grounds the film and makes it work.
The Dark Knight picks up soon after the events of Batman Begins, developing many of the themes of the first film.
There is a power struggle between the organised crime bosses of the city and the Joker.
BY-BBC NEWS
