DARK KNIGHT BREAKDOWN: Hidden Secret in Joker's Face | The Deep Dive

[@glenntravis7014]

Agreed, Ledger’s acting in the interrogation scene was phenomenal. I love the part when he tells Batman….. “Don’t talk like one of them, you’re not”

[@Mossybrain101]

The part at the end when Ledger is caught, hanging upside-down and says- " you and I should do this forever " is what Batman's all about.

[@360.Tapestry]

_L O O K A T M E !_

[@doctah401]

I believe he was a military vet from Afghanistan. anyone knows that explosive grey material on his fingers

[@droopmountain6510]

"...even if you'd like to be." The Joker knows all.

[@wedrivebynight]

@@doctah401That’s the paint from painting his face. Heath actually did his own make up for the movie and left the paint on his fingers. It’s a small detail that makes his character more believable

[@MelissaMayhem99]

My two favorite Joker moments have to be "I'm not crazy. I'm not." and when he's hanging out of the cop car window just relishing in all the chaos he's brought to Gotham Stellar breakdown. I recently rewatched the trilogy so I'm taking a stroll down memory lane with all these great breakdown vids.

[@Obi-ThreeKenobi]

Fun fact: When Heath grabbed Maggie's face, that wasn't scripted, so her initial reaction was genuine surprise. But since she's better than people give her credit for, she knew to roll with it and help give us an amazing scene.

[@nikkinewbie6014]

I liked the way she legit looked like she was studying his face. Like if you saw someone with those scars you’d be too polite to stare but she is staring.

[@MásCebollasPorFavor]

​@@nikkinewbie6014talking about it kind of gives the person permission to stare, that and your face being held a few inches from his face. I'd be staring too at that point.

[@nikkinewbie6014]

@@MásCebollasPorFavor Yeah. But at first she’s got her eyes squeezed shut. As the story goes on and he says how he did it to himself on purpose, that’s about when she starts staring at him. We don’t know what the character is actually thinking but if it wasn’t scripted for Heath to grab her face that way, and she just rolled with it, it was damned good improvisation to give us the varied range of reaction. To go from shutting him out by trying to turn her head and closing her eyes to not only opening them but staring at him not looking away. And then the fight in her comes out 😂😂 Bravo to Maggie.

[@TheLukeSchnabel]

i have a crazy crush on her since stranger than fiction.@@stevenwilliams1805

[@Obi-ThreeKenobi]

@@shinken6636 I guess Maggie and Nolan are just making funnies then, cause "shinken6636" said so.

[@DrEcho]

One thing I realized only kinda recently is that both M. and J. Gyllenhaal were cast opposite Heath Ledger in memorable films and both had charged and intense scenes with the late actor and reflected fondly on working alongside him during his posthumous recognitions for TDK. It's always something that will connect the siblings on not just a professional level but on a deeply transcendent one too.

[@RataStuey]

Wow, I hadn’t thought of that.

[@ThePriceisRightB]

What movie is heath in with Jake?

[@DrEcho]

@@ThePriceisRightB 2005 Oscar Best Director winner and Best Picture nominee (among other awards), Brokeback Mountain 📽️

[@ThePriceisRightB]

@@DrEcho oh yeah...I never watched that movie but I've seen the memes...thank you

[@DennisMHenderson]

Always funny to see the piglets trying to make a reward out of absolute garbage;

[@TheNewRevolution]

No matter how many superhero movies I watch, I always come back to this movie. It's not only the greatest superhero movie ever made, it's one of the greatest movies ever made. I find myself comparing all other action movies to it. I don't know if the superhero genre will ever produce another movie as good as this one. I'm looking forward to the day when I can introduce this film to my kids. I know they will love it as much as I do.

[@JoshuaSandusky]

Couldn’t agree more. No other movie touches this one. There are some great movies out there but this one will always be special.

[@supersaiyanbino]

The "when the chips are down...these civilized people will eat each other" line really hit home when we were in lockdown and look at how we acted over toilet paper and sanitizer... Look at how some of us acted when we saw someone around us without a mask on....That's what made this Joker so special... He was telling us a story about ourselves...and he was right...

[@snack_bar2474]

That’s definitely not the edgiest the thing I’ve ever read

[@supersaiyanbino]

@@snack_bar2474 Edge is my middle name!!! That's a lie...I'm sorry...it's actually Ramsey..

[@andrewbogard2411]

Or how some of the people who had no masks acted towards people who chose to wear them.

[@supersaiyanbino]

@@andrewbogard2411 Ya, both sides had their extremists. Full disclosure...I did make fun of people that drove with their mask on and they were the only ones in the car, lol. Other than that I just did my own thing, lol

[@andrewbogard2411]

@supersaiyanbino ya, that kind of thing is a little crazy lol, I had my mask, but I only put it on when I went into the store

[@erickeller7313]

I always loved the champagne detail. They both don't want the alcohol to muddle any of their senses. Opposite sides of the same coin that Dent flips between.

[@pll9000]

Or, the studio didn't want to depict drinking on screen in a movie aimed at a younger audience. As for Dent, the booze driped from his open cheek so none of the main characters drank alcohol on screen.

[@thetonymasters]

@@pll9000no.

[@davinalopez-oz1ez]

lol

[@joshyc2006]

​@@pll9000aimed at a younger audience? 🤣

[@WraithWriter]

​@@pll9000

[@SlumberingChaos]

The film is a masterpiece and I would argue that Heath Ledger's portrayal of the Joker is one of the greatest acting performances ever put on film.

[@ataridc]

You could argue that but I don't think anyone would be disagreeing with you hoss

[@face.-]

There are no disagreements on that I'm sure

[@Raixor]

22:22 *The "Please Stand Up" line originally references a classic gameshow called "To Tell the Truth".(2016-22, 2000-02 & 969-78)* 23:34 *When the crooked cop gives Judge Surillo the envelope, he tells her to "..open it. It'll tell you where you're 'headed'.". Then, the note says "UP". Then, BOOM.*

[@samanthas2280]

I said the same thing before finding out you already said it lol

[@mihaitha]

There is also an interesting parallel between the Joker's face reveal at the beginning of the movie, and Gordon's reveal when he arrests him: both characters don't say a word during those scenes as long as their faces are covered, communicating with other characters only by nods and hand gestures.

[@houstonwilson8383]

This is a really minor thing, but I LOVE hearing you give shout-outs and credit to other channels like Film Theory and Corridor Crew! The one thing I think the analysis side of KZbin has been missing is the community and connection that so many other KZbin sub-communities have

[@LEOxuan]

Yeah I love when KZbinrs call out to bring in other KZbinrs stuff and analysis - it’s like the avengers

[@denniswhaley5983]

The reason the opening scene was in the daytime was the Joker knew Batman patrolled at night and there'd be less chance of them running into each other yet. Joker already studied Batman closer than anyone at this point

[@Psymon1471]

Same with the hospital scene

[@CrippledKittens13]

Also banks aren't open at night.

[@brilliantFlame]

lmao@@CrippledKittens13

[@_Only_Zuul]

Batman in the daytime just doesn't seem right, although he fights Bane in daytime in TDKR..

[@richborn6700]

He knew Batman wouldn't be out and about, and wanted to specifically rip off a mob bank. Like he implies later those mafia heists are dime a dozen and just another gig for Joker.

[@that.canadian.vaper.guyTCVG]

This was my papas favorite movie. I was adopted by my grandparents, so my grandpa was basically my dad, and he *loved* this film, in turn it became my favorite film. We went to see this when it released and watched it once a week when it came out on blu-ray, it was our thing lol. But Heath Ledger was my favorite actor before this, so as a kid, i was actually extremely hyped that Heath was Joker. And I was absolutely mesmerized by his performance. He just felt unhinged, chaotic and crazy, yet every single thing he did was calculated and he didn't waste a single movement. This was *not Batman's film,* this was the Joker's film, and it did not disappoint.

[@MLisaKiser]

That's exactly what I have been saying since the first time I saw this film, that the Joker was the main character not Batman and I was so in awe of Heath Ledger's performance that I watched the whole thing back to back for 3 straight days. And it's been my favorite movie ever since then. There's not a single flaw in the way he played that role, and I would definitely never want to be any of the actors who have to try to follow that performance in a Joker role that's for sure!

[@Jdl343]

But without Batman you don't have the Joker

[@MichaelLoomis-b9g]

Batman hits home for me back when Michael Keaton played Batman I seen it as a young kid with my mom and got taken away right afterwards so yeah I feel you

[@Ajjosan]

@@MLisaKiseragreed it’s definitely the joker movie first, I’ve rewatched this trilogy countless times, TDK can be viewed by its self almost like a spin off for Nolan, Batman begins and tdkr reference each other so much while barely referring to the second movie that they definitely go hand and hand

[@DigitalGamerPixel]

One thing that always bugged me about the sequel, is that Harvey died at the end of the Dark Knight. I feel that they built up enough to where he survived the fall, but was just knocked unconscious. Maroni remarks earlier "From this height the fall wouldn't kill me." Batman even falls from the same height and is fine. How I feel it should have played out, Harvey himself was declared dead and Two-Face is instead taken and basically buried in Arkham in a cell so they can enforce the Dent Act. Because if they let a living Harvey Dent tell his story, everything would be undone. So they faked his death. It would have hit so much more if we got a scene where Bane releases criminals from both Blackgate and Arkham, instead of HIM reading Gordons speech, it's Harvey reading it. Because honestly, it's just the populace taking a terrorists word that it was a speech that Gordon wrote, but seeing that Harvey was alive would have broken their faith in the system even more.

[@hypnopump]

I mean I think that almost HAD to be the plan and then it was changed. Too spot on here

[@Michael.RedKnight]

The phrase “it's always darkest before the dawn” was first used by English theologian Thomas Fuller in 1650 in his work “A Pisgah-Sight of Palestine and the Confines Thereof”. The phrase “Will the real please stand up” originated from a game show called "To Tell The Truth" that debuted in 1956, hosted by Bud Collyer, and ran until 1978.

[@PillowEgg]

That detail at 46:19 was something I missed. The way that the Joker moved around the set, as he talked to both sides of Harvey Dent, appealing to both his halves is BRILLIANT. It's like one talking to the angel and devil on each shoulder and the Joker is able to convince both sides. I also like the orientation of the camera going clockwise and counter clockwise to represent something like a pendant going back and forth in the Racheal and Joker scene. The framing of the character on the right side and on the left is also a great touch. Amazing breakdown, and I've watched a lot of breakdowns on this film. The Dark Knight is such a huge influencial film that the Joker scene was used in my film class text books as the cover, Movies and Meaning an Intorduction to Film fifth edition.

[@thequiet5727]

The fact that Ledgers performance is still being talked about to day. Shows that he was absolutely amazing as the joker. Its a shame he never got to see how beloved his version is. Still the best live action Joker.

[@thequiet5727]

@@RandoLePerson Fact. People praise his performance because he did a legendary job.

[@wretchedrabbit]

He and Nicolson talked about the part. its what lead Ledger to isolate himself to prepare for the part. Nicolson told him basically that to play the role of Joker, you have to bring yourself to a very dark place. Ledger's dedication and passion put into his role is 100% what lead to his unfortunate death.

[@ligmaballs4130]

Ledger knew it was good

[@larryfleming7295]

@@thequiet5727 i agree ..everyone knew they had witnessed poetry in motion ... the works worthy of the label "Masterpiece" .. the real thing, not the normal "They were great after death" naw ...it was immediate! Like Jamie Fox in "Ray" another next level performance.

[@smallies7154]

@@wretchedrabbit jack was a great actor but clearly did the batman movie for the massive paycheck. he phoned it in

[@Argbmf]

Hey, I’m sure few people who watch this have an actual sense of how hard and how dedicated you HAVE TO BE to make a video like this. It parallels how much dedication the cast, crew and executives had to give to make this film in the first place. You paid us and then a huge respect. Amazing work.

[@pyramidion5911]

Its not that hard, they just skim reddit.

[@SilverionX]

@@pyramidion5911 Buddy, someone, somewhere has to come up with this stuff. What makes you think it's reddit over watching the movie many times and taking notes?

[@Doofus5152]

Conversely, the vast majority of big studio movies from the last 10 years shows us how so much dedication the cast, crew and executives had to give to make shit

[@MrCorner21]

Great deep dive...just found this channel and will definitely stay tuned. One theme you touched on was the reference to dogs as relates to the Joker's cynicism, the perception of him as a dog "chasing cars", and maybe another reference or two. There is the scene where Batman is attacked by Rottweilers, who were owned by the drug dealer that Joker later fed to his own dogs. Towards the end of the movie, you can hear dogs being let loose in pursuit of Batman as he returns to being public enemy #1. My interpretation is that dogs, contrary to what you highlighted about the Joker, are creatures which are seemingly of order but chaotic underneath. They listen to us, we trust them around our families, and they make us feel safer in most instances. Yet under the right circumstances (all they need is a push), dogs are vicious, unpredictable, and prone to revert back to animalistic survival instincts. Maybe this is meant to parallel humanity, as we cling to a semblance of order which masks our natural tendencies. Just like canines, the two parties in the ferryboat experiment ultimately chose not to divert from the pack when all was on the line. Probably a stretch, but dogs in movies always make me think of Anubis, who had the body of a man and the head of a jackal (joker) or dog. Anubis and Joker both ushered souls into the underworld and ruled over darkness.

[@vajtsab8826]

When I lost everything after my accident and became homeless. Opened my eyes to see how cruel the world really is. So, I tell people. "We may cheer for Batman. In the end we really want to be Joker". Cause a job is an illusion. Once you lose that you're no different from the homeless people you may despise. That's when right and wrong is out the window. When you have to survive.

[@debbiemoore2747]

Exactly. I lost everything and saw how fake the facade is. I wear the mask of respectability to keep a roof over my head but I know how sick society is and treat it as the joke it is.

[@TraynArt]

I remember seeing this for the first time on IMAX, and when the Joker said, “…Stranger”, instead of being focused on the front speakers like most dialogue, it lit up EVERY speaker. Truly an iconic moment.

[@nikkinewbie6014]

Wow! I didn’t see it at IMAX just a regular theater but I love that I got to see it in a theater period. That must have been a MOMENT 👀😂💯

[@deusexmachina2222]

I hope that someday it'll be re-released in the theater... To give folks a chance to experience it

[@nikkinewbie6014]

@@deusexmachina2222 GOSH! They just put the whole trilogy back in Showcase Cinemas this past Saturday! September 16th was Batman Day. They should have run it for a whole week but they only did it for one day. Sounds like you didn’t know or couldn’t go? 😕. Maybe they’ll do it again next year…just start looking for it around this time next year.

[@bellatrixm98schannel99]

Such an amazing movie! Was so sad when Heath Ledger passed especially when I had some friends that made fun of him for it even though they didn’t understand it. His movie, A Knight’s Tale is one of my favorite guilty pleasure movies! May he rest in peace.

[@supersaiyanbino]

I never got around to seeing knights tale but I heard great things. .. Never saw Imaginarium either

[@deatherbradley]

@@supersaiyanbinoyou’re missing out on it. It’s a definite feel good movie. Cheesy, but in a good way.

[@michaelfarrer3044]

@@RandoLePersonSo are you going to cry and whine on every single comment? Ledger even said that’s why he stayed in the motel for 6 weeks, so he could try to create his own representation. But Nicholson’s Joker was so iconic he knew it would always cast a shadow. Sadly there is still loser children bitching about it and who is the best Batman. It’s a movie bud. Pure entertainment. No need to get so upset that you comment the same thoughtless crap under every comment.

[@justinvcustodio]

@@RandoLePersonL take

[@AntlionUK]

A knights tale is peak kino

[@Alejandroigarabide]

If Aaron Eckhart ever gets a Marvel role, his phrase "I heard you have another name for me in MCU" will take on a whole new meaning.

[@mercury.johnson]

As a psych nurse, I always saw Ledger's mouth/tongue movements as something called tardive dyskinesia, caused by long term use of antipsyxhotics like thorazine. It's irreversible, even after discontinuation of the meditation.

[@TrueLunacy]

Psychiatry is torture.

[@goobytron2888]

I’ve seen it in drug addicts too.

[@constitution_8939]

I have and believe I Always will, that Heath Ledgers role as the Joker was not only the Best Performance in Movie History, but NOBODY will Ever be able to even come close to even Any consideration of anything or anybody whatever the role or actor. For me, it was the Greatest Performance in All Motion Picture History and I am still So bereaved that he is Gone and Most infuriated that he couldn't even be there for the movie release and know and enjoy even just a few months of the Supernatural-like obsession the World had for him and his rendition of the "Joker." And the same is felt over Joaquin Phoenix's "Joker" which are two different roles though Phoenix got to enjoy his Fame and deservedly so.

[@RobStevens64]

My favorite part of this film is that when The Joker is taunting Two-Face into shooting him the hospital, after his talking about 'schemers' ... Joker has his finger blocking the hammer so the gun wouldn't go off even if Two-Face pulled the trigger. Yes, the Joker ACTS like a wild-card, but he's always in control, little left to chance. Ledgers take on this character isn't just the best portrayal of the character ever, but one of the greatest villains ever put to screen. Brilliant work, and a man who left us far too soon. Another OUTSTANDING Deep Dive, Erik! I particularly loved the bit about "The Shrinking Pie Game" ... that's the kind of stuff I love you highlighting in these analyses! Edit: Something I just noticed ... the Joker, unlike many psychopaths and serial killers, doesn't have an MO. He never does anything the same way. He kills with whatever will suit the situation. Also: The Joker having contingencies is something that happens in poker, too. You play the cards you have, but particularly in Texas Hold 'Em, your play also factors in how many 'outs' you have, draws to the cards you need for a winning hand.

[@SpankyOleary]

Best Batman movie broken down by the BEST breakdown channel!!!!

[@TheThird1977]

One part of the Mobster Meeting scene that no-one seems to talk about is Gambol saying "ENOUGH FROM THE CLOWN", which is a direct quote from Michael Jai White as Spawn.

[@TheThird1977]

@@DeepDiveNRThank you kindly.

[@Thespeedrap]

I need to watch Spawn again and it seems like all these comic book franchise might a small connection within each other.

[@JonCom3dy]

Oh snap. Cool.

[@chrisagraztemp2779]

I always forget that John Leguizamo played the clown in Spawn.

[@kidtrinity2157]

Never realized that was Michael Jai White as Gambol 😂 that's hilarious

[@ajb625]

Wish you would have included the Joker's line to Batman towards the end: You truly are incorruptable. The supposed "craziest" person in the film reconized Batman being incorruptable while pretty much everyone else thought otherwise.

[@TVSTGProductions]

I’d love to have a video of Christopher Nolan watching this just to see how many coincidences there were in this analysis

[@iLLiCiT_XL]

This (briliiant!) breakdown further makes me feel that The Joker had to be some sort of CIA agent or something prior to his time in the makeup. He's a tactician, inline with Ra's and Bane. Many steps ahead, very specific about his choices, seemingly trained to take down local governments; a master at manipulation, infiltration, and subterfuge. AND he has weapons and demolitions training.

[@sreenivaskamath4243]

Yes. Either this or the military vet theory makes most sense for Joker's origin.

[@ThemePark0blivion]

Over 15 years later and this still holds up as the best superhero film ever. Cannot decide which is better between this and Oppenheimer but that just shows how amazing Nolan’s attention to detail is when it comes to telling stories that are still relevant today.

[@Kevmaster2000]

The Avengers is the best superhero film ever. Superman (1978) is up there too.

[@Blinkptx]

Tied with Infinity War for me

[@dustinhogle3844]

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles(1990)

[@Thespeedrap]

That's because Superhero movies are the new westerns just without the cowboy shooting.

[@danwarner7816]

​@@Kevmaster2000nah dark Knight & joker beats all. Avengers is best superhero team movie not the best 😂

[@pennysgarage]

This might be my most favorite movie of all time. Absolutely incredible storytelling and your breakdown upholds that story. Thank you.

[@mw90210]

Heath Ledger said he put cherry koolaid powder on his lips so he would keep licking them like that in the scenes. He's a legend of an actor who is gone WAY too soon...

[@HairyButWhole]

Ledger was the star of the show and sure Nolan directed great Batman trilogy, but Dark Knight's superiority shows how big effect great actor/character has.

[@wjquick32]

Just rewatched this a few weeks ago with my parents. I was struck by my mom hanging on to me mouthing the lines the same way everyone hung on to the Joker's stories. I probably owe them an apology from last Christmas where they had to wake up to me sleeping my Ledger Joker shirt lmao. But he's my fave, always. This was SUCH an incredible deep dive, although right at the end there Voss said Harvey's son instead of Gordon's son. Made me smile, our mans is human

[@venn5510]

Small detail I noticed: Right before Batman slams the Joker's face on the table, the Joker closes his eyes and braces for impact. I think he KNEW Batman was standing behind him and was waiting for the "introduction".

[@masonsingleton4278]

Not to be a nerd but I think it was just heath knowing he was getting slammed

[@venn5510]

@@masonsingleton4278 Way to break kayfabe, my dude.

[@citizenkhunt]

it tracks. when he says "...good cop, bad cop routine." and Gordon answers "not exactly"...Joker definitely knew what that meant.

[@Ethan_imp]

No, in those scenes Heath ledger actually had bale hit him because he wanted to scenes to be as authentic has possible, bale revealed this in an interview somewhere, but just goes to show why he’s the best joker and how much dedication he put into this role

[@brownstarslots]

I thought It was his eyes adjusting to the lights turning on

[@Ironlantern723]

He's not a true agent of chaos, but when he said "do I look like a guy with a plan?" he wasn't lying either. He doesn't have A plan, he'd never limit himself with just one. He has several plans and triggers them as he feels they are needed for his end goal.

[@ScottJarreau]

6:42 "That which does not kill us, makes us stranger..." That's a line spoken by Trevor Goodchild from the MTV cartoon "AEON FLUX" in the 1995 episode "Utopia, or Deuteranopia"

The nature of chaos is deterministic. Chaos is the order of disorder. So this joker is the perfect example of it's movement. People tend to misinterpret chaotic systems, because they fear them, they challenge the most inherent premises of human reason. A dog chasing cars is a very proud and dedicated laborer, indeed.

[@64b4bx]

Joker was like a pro Poker player. Plans thoughtfully prepared for every scenario, ablility to shift his plan with the cards he's dealt, and the constant changing in story he tells and his smiling through hits paint his "Poker face". And besides, what's more chaotic than a Poker player not playing for the money?

[@LM1984Studios]

I always loved the fact that Heath always licked his lips just so the fake scars stayed on. When I first saw trailers for Joker I thought it was a prequel for this Joke. Probably cause of the hair and type of makeup

[@venomousnate7263]

Still to this day one of my all time favorite movies. Heath Ledger’s portrayal of the Joker is amazing and spine chilling.

[@arrakis089]

heath ledger also stated that the jokers tick was due to the prosthetic pealing and not sticking properly and so he was licking it to press it back down and the director noticed it and thought it was perfect to put into the movie as a tick of jokers

[@pillowsleeper4521]

Great video, not only did I learn some new facts about this incredible film like how the two wheels of the Batmobile are actually the wheels of the motorcycle; but how Joker gives people the illusion of freedom like he did to Harvey with the hammer. But also his goons that he hires to work for him, he grabs the vulnerable that possibly cannot think clearly making them easy prey. This video breaks down the Dark Knight has been fantastic and ever since you announced you would do a video about it, I've been so excited. Keep up the great work.

[@Zombiez4breakfast]

The turning the head in the suit thing is also a nod to Batman Begins too cuz Christian Bale hated that suit.

[@TowerGal_13]

Fun fact, they filmed the “Batcave garage” at my college’s parking structure. I remember having the shipping containers sticking out of the top of it so they could flood it in the final act. Love this movie, love this channel. Thank you Captain Voss 🫡

[@UrbanMediaReview]

This is my favorite movie ever. I seen it a hundred times. I never realized the joker pump faked about chaos while having absolute control and being so organized.

[@west264]

24:25 true. And the scene was un rehearsed and she desperately looks over at one point to Nolan off screen to save her.

[@wrightbritt9515]

I’ve been anticipating this video so much!!! I’m so excited to get to watch it now! Congrats on being a dad soon! You’re the GOAT of YT. Been watching you since I was 8, I’m 14 now!

[@wrightbritt9515]

@@DeepDiveNR thank you for making such amazing content over the years 🙏

[@junkytboy]

Absolutely love this movie and as a Chicago native it means so much to me. A cool thing is that while the movie was being filmed the local news was reporting on the filming that was taking place at night and an early shot of Heath Ledger as the joker was seen on the local news. But they reported it as him in half makeup because nobody knew his iconic look yet.

[@nikkinewbie6014]

Christian Bale’s wife Sibi was a stunt driver on that movie - she was driving one of the cop cars 😂. Nice!

[@wretchedrabbit]

Chicago is more like Arkham City... especially since you all keep voting in garbage government figures.

[@SonnyK248]

I always took the dogs chasing cars metaphor for The Joker as him being an absurdly intelligent psychopath who has a goal and goes after it 100% like an unstoppable machine and as soon as he misses his target immediately has another one in his eyeline and has another plan to make that happen and over and over again. He is chaos. He doesn't necessarily have a plan B but snaps right into it as soon as plan A is off the board. He's always running and causing chaos and he's so smart his off the cuff stuff looks like a genius well planned masterpiece.

[@FaceFamous]

The dog chasing a car metaphor means the goal is to catch the car. Thats it, to catch it. But once that challenge is gone now what🤷🏿‍♂️. What's a dog supposed to do with it now? It's reactionary. I don't know what to do with it.. meaning the end of the challenge. I caught it ok what's a dog supposed to do now. Go after another. Singular focus. Action without a plan

[@SonnyK248]

@@FaceFamous Dogs never catch the cars though and when the cars get out of their reach the immediately start running after another car. You see a dog on the highway and he's just switching from car to car every five seconds. That's The Joker. He's random. He looks like he's got a plan but then he might give up on that plan/car and start going after another one at any moment. But because he's a criminal mastermind it gives off the illusion that he has this overarching master plan when in actuality his plans probably change on the fly daily.

[@VoodooAngel63]

I don't know if anyone else has mentioned this, if you look carefully, joker's red lip makeup acutally mirrors the Bst Signal, the vertical wrinkles at the side of his mouth form the fingers in the bat's wings, the points of his top lip forming the bat' ears.

[@fusion451]

I must say ur character essays are quite revelatory with obscure deep cuts . That Tom Waits reference was spot on. Lots of insight in esculent portions.

[@CocktailsConsoles]

"When the chips are down these people will eat each other" The Joker saw this happen elsewhere. Watching Gotham pretend to be above it all became his focus. Though notice who Joker went after first -- those who wielded power in Gotham.

[@courtney8049]

This was AMAZING! I’ve been so looking forward to this video. I cannot believe how many more details you found! Thank you so much for your time, effort and thought that went in to this. It is so appreciated! I wonder if you’ve ever thought about what the Joker’s role would’ve been in the Dark Knight Rises? I know we’ll probably never find out the actual answer from Nolan, but I’d love to know your theories!

[@allanbard6048]

The novelization of TDKR apparently has something alluding to the Joker wandering the halls of Arkham alone. I suppose that means he didn't take part in the great escape.🙃

[@mikespearwood3914]

@@allanbard6048 Yeah, hard to get around the fact that there's no Joker in TDKR for the very obvious reason.

[@courtney8049]

@@allanbard6048 that’s so interesting! I never knew that! Thanks for your comment 😊

[@jonathaneast3727]

Hes just describing the scenes. Not that special

[@Dinoco-42]

🃏:”There’s a lil fight in you, I LIKE THAT” 🦇:”Then you’re Gonna LOVE ME”

[@EinsamPibroch278]

Nah, the Potato Peeler is just the Joker liking his hash browns fresh.

[@tonygoodwinjr9293]

By saying, "one bad day", The Joker doesnt literally mean it. What he really is talking about is that last straw on that one bad day that points you towards madness; Its not immediate but instead only pushes you further, over time, into insanity. Its like conditioning. Practice madness makes perfect insanity

[@CINEWHIRLOFFICIAL]

This was such a well executed breakdown Erik. The effort you put into these video is incredible and outstanding. You really need to breakdown Tenet or Oppenheimer like this please.

[@michaelloeffler]

Erik, this was fantastic! All your effort (as well as your whole team) totally shows and pays off in all your videos, but especially this one. I agree with you, this is your best one yet!

[@hjk6606]

You must not be aware of what's been happening with them. You may notice certain folks aren't around anymore. Why? 💰💸

[@chrisjeffrey7570]

Read my comment above, you’re right

[@AndrewCereijo]

Fun fact: For the interrogation scene, Heath asked Bale to actually punch him to make the scene feel realistic in terms of the growing tension of the scene. So now whenever you see that scene where Batman is punching Joker, he's really punching him.

[@spacesage533]

Yeah, i heard that too. I always wondered if he actually smashed / cracked the window when Batman put his head into it. I mean it looked pretty damn real…but where’s the blood?

[@BJ52091]

Ledger: “Seriously, punch me, it’ll be more realistic.” Bale: “I’m a Method actor, I was going to do that sh*t anyway.”

[@richborn6700]

*just pretend I'm an extra who accidentally walked through the shot*

[@FaceFamous]

​@@spacesage533movie glass

[@gandeef]

​@@richborn6700 I knew there was a reason I scrolled so far down in these comments and this is it

[@youcare_somuch2433]

The scene where the Joker tells the second scar origin story to Rachel is one of my favorite scenes in cinema history. I also can’t help but think about how Ledger’s Joker remarks on Maggie Gyllenhaal’s beauty in this scene and just a few years before Ledger had played the lover of Jake Gyllenhaal in Brokeback Mountain, so he finds both Gyllenhaals attractive lol. Probably a pointless comparison but it just makes me smile

[@grimmertwin2148]

I find them both attractive, talented and modest. But I'd only want to sleep with one of them. For life hopefully. As long as the other one remained a good friend.

[@balazshajdu4612]

Starting this channel was the simplest greatest idea from NRS! My time does not always allow, but I love these super deep analysis from very good movies. And I love that within this longer time frame approx 1 hour it is not filled with cliché, or did you know details but subjective, to the point interesting details that widens our view and enhance rewatchability of these otherwise fantastic movies! Kudos! and Thanks!

[@allanbard6048]

I love this channel's deep dives. Almost like Erik is sitting and watching the film with me. I know that this community is also the perfect audience. That being said, you brought to memory(!) the things I never have had a satisfying answer to. 1) Gambol isn't the one who says: "You're crazy." The man in between the Joker and Gambol does. A flicker of a toothy smile just before "No I'm not" has Joker's eye contact with this mobster. 2) I hope I'm not the only one, but the pool hall ambush tells us just enough to sell what I believe the knife blade finally did. The Joker looks down at one of Gambol's men and asks "Why So Serious?" I believe the knife was used to deal Gambol a throat wound as the man visibly reacts to something he sees. Gambol falls out of frame BEFORE the Joker sheds the last of the plastic bags. So no blood on him. 3) Speaking of blood, there's none in the interrogation room. Not from the glass, not from the punches. Keeping away from a R rating is my guess. 4) If Lau is atop the money, and gets hit in the face with some of it...why don't we hear him scream? We hear the dogs barking very clearly, and nothing in the BG as Joker gets the phone out of his pocket. And some of the last of my thoughts: Two different scars=two different stories? Did the Joker "stack the deck" again (like w/ Rachel's location) with the ferries, each key could blow up its own boat? In the police station, did Joker stand in front of/among the metal filing cabinets to give him some cover? Thanks to ALL my fellow Deep Divers for reading this far!

[@gabrieljobran747]

Got chills by watching this, this is my all time favourite trilogy. You’re awesome Erik, thanks for these amazing breakdowns👌🏼

[@ZenithAngel]

Now you gotta do Batman Begins and Dark Knight Rises . Those are the rules 🤷‍♂️

[@garrettbarnes7826]

I rewatched this movie a few months ago. When heath has the phony batman in the butcher shop, that growl before the “look at me” would be so intimidating. Phenomenal acting on ledger’s part.

[@charlesnevsimal9235]

You are absolutely amazing. Your deep dives are nothing short of extraordinary, and some of the best content on KZbin. Keep crushing it! You're the hero cinema lovers deserves, and the one we need right now.

[@ethanschreiner5137]

I love this movie so much Erik every couple of months I go back and watch your dark Knight breakdown on the main NR channel

[@Dinoco-42]

Erik voss congrats on your Voss baby and I’m sure he’ll be as much of a nerd as you are breaking down films and hopefully both of you will have the same experience you had with your father watching Jaws congrats🎉🎉

[@Dinoco-42]

@@DeepDiveNR great! You’ll be an amazing father😆🎉

[@kdtheii]

I always thought Heath accidentally cut himself in one of the takes with Rachel (Maggie Gyllenhaal) and that was kept it. Never considered the other possibility. Great Deep Dive Erik. Am I crazy to say that no MCU film has (yet) to touch the complexity of the Dark Knight? The cinematography, story telling, character, dialogue, music, psychology, layers, acting, everything we love about cinema in one film.

[@pll9000]

Then again, DC/Warner never had a cohesive strategy like Marvel did. We got lucky with the Nolan trilogy. Nowadays, it feels like DC's hits are purely coincidental.

[@tubulartopher]

I recall when I first went to see this movie, it was one of my earliest memories of seeing an entire audience clap loudly at the end. We all knew even on first viewing that the hype was surpassed and we witnesses to something truly special. Oh and, I'm pretty sure the guy in full Joker makeup and costume a couple rows behind me would agree.

[@cosmoissleeping]

The Joker's voice is like Al Franken's Two Face having acid thrown in his face in the courtroom goes back to his original comic book appearances in like the 1940s

[@deepstatethrombosis]

This trilogy really was poetry.

[@bearbonezmusic]

This is by far the best analysis of this movie. Your attention to detail and insight is incredible. Thank you for taking the time to make this. As a die-hard fan of this film, it's so exciting to find an analysis that has enhanced the viewing experience of a movie I thought I knew like the back of my hand. 😊

[@FaceFamous]

No he's reaching on so much stuff. All these maybe this maybe that. It's bin doing this and that to get this and say that.. alot of this is a big reach

[@herielcapo]

Man, I remember the first I saw the dark knight. It changed the game. Another kind of cinema was born after this film came out. Amazing breakdown, Eric keep on with the great work.

[@RehtWrecks]

So just a thought but I have a feeling the detonators on the boats were actually for their own boats. I think the joker did the same thing with the boats that he did with the addresses for Rachel and dent

[@the_gratefulgamer]

53:34 "All it takes is one bad day." A reference to The Killing Joke

[@wheatmann1601]

Ive been looking forward to this one, also congrats, you'll be a great dad!

[@wheatmann1601]

@@DeepDiveNR now the question is, are you naming the child Mephisto?

[@Dom_510]

A masterpiece of a movie, I’ve loved The Dark Knight since I first saw it back in 2008. It’s the definition of a perfect movie.

[@josss_see]

After watching this breakdown, I think I can say this is the best Batman movie. Christopher Nolan really created something special with this and Heath Ledger was nothing short of phenomenal. Love this movie and this breakdown!

[@Thefrayenters]

You needed a breakdown to tell you that?

[@josss_see]

@@Thefrayenters I don't know if you meant to come off rude, so I'll let it slide. And to answer your shady question: no, I didn't. This breakdown reiterates the validity of the claim and my comment was to affirm it once more, while praising the movie, director and breakdown.

[@Thefrayenters]

@@josss_see While the sentiment is appreciated, no permission necessary. The question was nowhere close to shady, but I’ll shed some light regardless: “After watching this breakdown, I think I can say…”

[@josss_see]

@@Thefrayenters Congrats on shedding light.

[@tomlock5484]

Thank you. The subtitles really help. I can never hear a word they're saying in these films.

[@JonCom3dy]

Lol!

[@djbis]

48:21 not only is this an extremely entertaining in-depth analysis, but I am impressed by the fact the reviewer got Murciélago 🦇 RIGHT! And I mean, nobody, not even professionals in the car industry pronounce this right which to me has always been a huge pet-peeve. Cool factoid too... A Bat being driven by a Bat Man. 👌🏼 This movie is truly something special in so many ways.

[@GnrMilligan]

Thank you for all the hard work that goes into your videos. I really appreciate the efforts film makes put into their craft knowing most people won't even notice. And sometimes it manipulates the audience without them even being aware. I like to think I am quite good at spotting these clever details, but you never fail in pointing out many many details that I had missed, and that just makes me enjoy the movie more, and appreciate the director/artist's work even more! And it impresses me just how much you do see!

[@Caleb_Picker]

Man, what a tragedy. Ledger is one the best actors ever easily a master of his craft and an excellent performer. He left this world so young and it is truly a tragedy.

[@Pandrawrr]

So glad you did a deep dive on this movie. It's probably my one of my favorite pieces of cinema ever, and you've uncovered so many details that I've definitely missed. Thanks Eric and the deep dive team

[@mikemurphy5898]

47:48 when joker says his line, he takes his finger off the gun's hammer .... dent could have ended it real quickly at that point

[@rickyclements9617]

why is it that Brian Azzarello and Lee Bermejo 'Joker' graphic novel is never mentioned? I love Ledger and the adaptation of The Joker but it had been done long before this movie. The graphic novel was released in Dec of 2008 but was started many years before. The movie was released July of 2012.

[@blurrthelegend1420]

I remember when I first watched The Dark Knight, the Joker was the character that really got me hooked on the movie for a long time after. Heath Ledger did such an amazing job as the Joker, and I enjoyed his performance so much that his Joker was my Halloween costume a few years back! I learned how to do a decent impression of him AND I knew several of his lines by heart. Oh man, what a great movie and what an amazing actor. RIP Heath Ledger.

[@Oxnypognip]

I love the second joker in the deck analogy you bring up talking about Harvey Dent. There’s even a small detail not mentioned in the video that a lot of the time when you’re opening a new deck of cards there’s the joker you get at the front of the deck, sometimes even hidden behind a card giving you rules for a game or two or the manufacturer’s logo (like the title card and opening bank heist setting the tone for what’s to come), but then the second joker is hidden away in the middle of the deck. You know he’s there, you know he’s coming, but if you start playing thinking there’s only the one, he shows up taking you by surprise. It’s a quick fix to take him out, but then you’re forced to start again like it didn’t happen

[@rehnahvah]

The phrase is "The night SEEMS darkest just before the dawn", which I always thought of as the night watch of a group of travellers looking out into the darness, the fears that came to mind over the long hours compounding to the biggest fears, or figurative darkness at is peak. And then the watch is over, dawn breaks, and you can see again with the relief you made it another night.

[@ftlaudman]

This also made me think "the KNIGHT is darkest just before the dawn" as allusion to Batman having to take the fall for Dent before the trilogy wraps up with him being a hero again.

[@cliffcampbell8827]

From what i understand about the Joker in this movie, I believe the detonators for each ferry were NOT on opposite ships but each were on the ship that would detonate the explosives. In other words, the civilians would blow themselves up as would the criminals do to themselves, that way if the convicts ended up killing themselves, the Joker would have that many fewer crooks to deal with when the night is done but if the civilians turn the key and go boom, its that much more fear he can capitalize on after hes done for the night (he was expecting to win and escape to be free to terrorize another day).

[@michaelschmidt7939]

Rachel’s reaction is genuine. She hasn’t seen Heath in full costume with the face paint until this scene. So the look of shock and discomfort is real. Nolan intentionally did not let her see Heath in full make up for the purpose of capturing her genuine shock. For her this moment is real. That combined with having to act her part, it makes for a brilliant scene. Kinda like in the movie Alien, when the baby alien bursted out of the stomach, the horror on the actors faces were real. The only actor who knew what was about to happen was the actor on the table. The other actors had no clue what was about to happen. So their terrified reaction was real. And it made that scene so much better since their reactions were authentic.

[@Dinoco-42]

Break down the Mad Max films especially the newest one

[@Eskay_The_Evil_Genius]

Hey lots of respect and I love your deep cuts. Im also a huge Eminem fan. However the please stand up line most likely wasnt a reference to Eminem it likely actually refers to an old game show. I believe it was called to tell the truth. Its the show that the real life guy from Catch Me If You Can went on. 3 people all claim to be one person to trick a panel of guest judges. At the end they say will the real (so and so) please stand up. A show of people trying to convince others they are someone theyre not. Like the three of Harvey Joker and Batman are convincing everyone theyre different people than they are. I am feelin myself for puttin that stuff together. Make me a writer for you bro. Lol. Take it easy and keep up the great work.

[@mungowilson1255]

Wow, you might be the best deep dive movie channel out. Glad I discovered this, it's not like the usual essay form of video which I think is absolutely perfect when talking about film.

[@KidAstronaut]

Gdammit. The batmobile is even cooler than I thought. Seeing that slowed down was EPIC

[@Joe-uw4eh]

He wants people to look at him because in the scene where he wants his phone call he says "in their final moments they show you who they really are"

[@Reversemotion20]

27:13 dude that made the jokers ending in injustice 2 so much better for me