After Christopher Nolans Dark Knight trilogy, Tim Burtons Batman seems mostly dismissed as a cartoon by comparison. However, re-watch the movies weirdly emotional climax and realize, hey, theres a lot going on there. Jack Nicholsons Joker perches on a church tower ledge as Batman and Vicki Vale cling below him. He does a jig and stomps at their hands. Even while the stones crumble beneath him, hes still behaving like the jolly homicidal artist whos been partying (and wearing berets) all movie long. His henchmen fly in and throw down a ladder for a helicopter exit. Joker floats up and Batman throws a rope around his ankle, binding him to a gargoyle. Only now does everything catch up to the clown. Nicholsons expression as he slips down the rungs seems so suddenly human and fragile. He stares into space and grits his teeth. When he falls, he screams not with laughter but with a rational persons fear. This is a rare moment of vulnerability in an otherwise completely comedic character.
