"In this, the last performance he completed before his death, Ledger had a maniacal gusto inspired enough to suggest that he might have lived to be as audacious an actor as Marlon Brando, and maybe as great."&mdashEntertainment Weekly

"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." —Variety

"it is perhaps the best compliment one can pay to this gifted young actor to say that his performance here would have cemented his legend even if he'd lived to see the film's release."—Village Voice

"Ledger's mesmerizingly damaged agent provocateur is the film's dark heart, a presence so malevolently unpredictable that it remains palpable even when he's not on screen."—TV Guide

"Ledger is so horrifically riveting you can't take your eyes off of him."—NY Daily News

"With his cracked white pancake makeup, black-rimmed eyes, smeared lipstick and greasy, greenish-tinged hair, The Joker bears no resemblance to the strikingly handsome actor who played him. In fact, the character is like nothing we've seen or heard before."—USA Today

"The late Heath Ledger will be missed because of his ability to make a green-haired clown into the most terrifying sight in recent memory."—eFilmCritic

"[Ledger's] performance is also the most interesting thing in the film, and when the Joker is absent, The Dark Knight loses most of its energy and dynamism."—Washington Post

"People will go on and on about Heath Ledger, and it's all very much warranted."—Money Cash Hos

"...Ledger has left us with one of the most brilliant performances ever put on film."—CrazedFanBoy.com

"[H]e is the greatest thing since the invention of cheese."—Radar