The Great Criminal

SEK compelled me to respond to The Dark Knight. I don’t have much new to say on the topic–I really enjoyed the movie, particularly Heath Ledger’s performance as the Joker, but found the Two-Face part a bit contrived and unsatisfying.

I would like to make a remark, however, about the theoretical importance of the Joker, who is a startling illustration of the link between the “great criminal” and the sovereign. [Note: SPOILER ALERT!!! Including an unexpected spoiler of The Wire that I should've mentioned before!] For instance, the Joker is frequently in situations where he is surrounded by violent criminals hostile to his goals (such as they are). Why don’t they simply kill him? I believe the answer is more than the perception that he might just be crazy enough to take out Batman: his joyous criminality gives him a kind of sovereignty. For the same reason, it becomes believable that he could have a horde of faithful yet unseen followers willing to set up bombs in hospitals, boats, etc. — the very insanity of his plot simultaneously places him above the law and compels obedience, at least in certain types of people.

Doesn’t everyone pale into insignificance compared to the Joker? The good Harvey Dent and the evil Two-Face are both pathetic compared to him — even Batman is. One also cannot help but note that the Joker does not die at the end, and I believe there is an inner necessity to this that goes beyond Batman’s personal code. Ledger’s performance is obviously a big part of this effect, but I would argue that Ledger succeeds precisely insofar as he injects a criminal sovereignty into the role.

[A semi-related note -- the notion of the great criminal as sovereign also helps to explain one of the great mysteries from season 1 of The Wire: Why did Omar wait so long to take his shot after drawing Avon out? The answer is simple: even Omar is not immune to the sovereign aura of the king, which Avon is in his world. If Omar were a truly great criminal, he would've been able to pull it off, just as the Joker has no trepidation about killing the mayor. Instead, Omar is merely Batman, and the fact that the Batman of the new franchise can only meet Omar's pathetic end is what will almost certainly make the inevitable third installment a failure -- because a summer blockbuster can't do what The Wire can.]