Variety Magazine is the "industry" magazine for the film studios. This is their review of The Dark Knight, and its the 1st full review of the much anticipated film :

http://www.variety.com/VE1117937619.html

Just a portion of the review about Heath Ledgers Joker role. Pretty good review I would say.

Utterly indifferent to simple criminal motivations like greed, Ledger's maniacally murderous Joker is as pure an embodiment of irrational evil as any in modern movies. He's a pitiless psychopath who revels in chaos and fears neither pain nor death, a demonic prankster for whom all the world's a punchline.

After Ledger's death in January, his penultimate performance (with Terry Gilliam's "The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus" still to come) will be viewed with both tremendous excitement and unavoidable sadness. It's a tribute to Ledger's indelible work that he makes the viewer entirely forget the actor behind the cracked white makeup and blood-red rictus grin, so complete and frightening is his immersion in the role. With all due respect to the enjoyable camp buffoonery of past Jokers like Cesar Romero and Jack Nicholson, Ledger makes them look like -- well, clowns.

 

Well its a little early for that, but it looks like he is getting co-billing so its possible that Ledger could garner a Best Actor, instead of Best Supporting actor nomination. It would be a great way to honor his work. :up:

But the write up in Variety is a plus for sure. Hollywood remembers those things when it comes "trophy" time.

 

I wasn't saying that, but was quoting from the link. :up: