by Alexandre Muise

Created on: October 30, 2009   Last Updated: October 08, 2010

The question is not only subjective, it`s also lacking a category... Although Jack Nicholson was the funnier one of the two in the slapstick sense of the word (not to mention more accurate to the original DC character), Heath Ledger was the more creepy and memorable. I'll write more about Heath in another article...

I remember when the Jack Nicholson-Michael Keaton movie came out twenty years ago and still enjoy the dark hilarity of one-liners and macabre slapstick comedy that only Jack Nicholson can bring to a story. The type of mentally dangerous yet funny wit could only have come from the actor that starred in Stephen King`s The Shining. Lines like "Where does he get those wonderful toys", "Wait til they get a load of me" and "Have you ever danced with the devil by the pale moonlight" are lines by Jack Nicholson is still ingrained in the memories of millions of movie goers.

Jack Nicholson mixed more the comedy of the cartoon character than he did the scary-creepy-twisted mind. Whereas whenever you saw Heath, the viewer was just scared witless of the character, Jack was the everlasting comic. Each time Jack was on the screen in the Batman movie, although it was sort of dark; we were always waiting for a funny-light hearted line or some action that would make us chuckle.

Jack Nicholson and Michael Keaton also paved the way for Batman movies to switch from the cheesy bright colored costumes and lame Adam West choreography into much deeper and darker style of story that we`ve seen in the newer movies (Batman, Batman Returns, Batman Forever, Dark Knight). In doing so, the Joker is no longer just a funny clown with a bright purple suit, but started to develop into a character with a deep personality that really makes an imagination wonder in fear.

He also set the stage for the Joker character found in the animated series in the sense that that character was also funny in a "criminally insanely dangerous" sort of way. (Cue the next line that strikes the Joker fan repertoire) "Stop the press! Who`s that? - Vicky Vale" Although the real life movie still lacked the animated joker`s "girlfriend" Harley Quinn; Jack Nicholson`s intrigue with Vicky Vale sure made up for it. The reporter Vicky Vale wasn`t the Joker`s girlfriend or assistant, but the girl of his dreams. Unfortunately she was romantically interested in Bruce Wayne, while covering stories on the Batman as well as stories on the Joker.

Which brings another bonus for Jack`s Joker; he was (or at least tried to be) much more the ladies` man. Whereas the only "romantic relationship" that a Heath character went for was the one on Brokeback Mountain (sorry, if this observation is somewhat crude; but it`s still in the backdrop of Heath`s acting career, it`s not meant to offend either Heath's memory or homosexuals). Jack`s the type of actor who, whenever he`s a villain, has to fall as the result of being distracted by a woman;s beauty or insanity on the scale that only Nicholson can bring to the big screen. Although the character still lost; he went down laughing like a crazed clown as the Joker always does.

So just remember; "if you gotta go, go with a smile!"

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