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3. Batman (1989)

Perhaps Nicholson's most memorable role, it's important to note that he pulled off the Joker without really looking like the arch villain of Batman. While Nicholson's on screen presence may be imposing, he actually does not physically fit the role of the Joker very well. In the comics the Joker is very tall and slim. He has a full head of hair, and a long chin. Jack Nicholson is a little thin on top, not very tall, and has a large, round face. The fact that Nicholson was able to pull off the Joker is a true testament to his ability as an actor. As the film begins, he plays Jack Napier, one of the crooks involved in all of the corruption in the city of Gotham. As the film progresses, Napier is transformed into the Joker. From that point, watching Nicholson is a wild ride.

From the dark opening scenes, where we first see him having his scarred face operated on, to his attempts to win the affections of Vicky Vale (Kim Bassinger), Nicholson's laughs are downright disturbing. In the scene where the Joker visits the crime boss of Gotham, Grissom (Jack Palance), Nicholson's facial expressions and pure energy are captivating. It's a little odd to view a movie and cheer for the antics of the villain, but his performance is just awesome. The adversarial relationship that develops between him and Batman (Michael Keaton) is memorable.

In another scene for the film hall of fame, the Joker dines with Vicky Vale at a local museum. Vale rejects the Joker and splashes water onto his face. He reacts by taunting her and gives audiences one of the most disconcerting and villainous laughs ever delivered on screen. When the Joker attempts to create as much mayhem as possible, Batman does his best to save Gotham. In an awesome smash'em up action ending, Nicholson portrays the madman in a very obsessed way. As the Joker's plans to gas the inhabitants of Gotham are defeated, the look inn his eyes manage to communicate..."I gotta kill someone, today". Portraying an insane murderer could not have been easy, but Nicholson did it with energy, and seemed to enjoy it. Perhaps the best measure of fan reaction to Nicholson as the Joker, is the amount of dissatisfaction with the fate of the character at the end of the film.


4. The Shining (1980)

This one is very special. Perhaps one of the quieter roles Nicholson has ever taken, The Shining is also one of the few horror films he has ever headlined. However, the paring of Nicholson, one of the greatest actors of the 20th century, with Stephen King, one of the best horror writers of his era, is well worth seeing. Add the unique film making abilities of Stanely Kubrick, and audiences receive a real treat. Nicholson plays Jack Torrance, a recovering alcoholic writer who jumps at the chance to live as the caretaker of an isolated hotel in the Rocky Mountains.

He brings his family along, and as the day-to-day monotony of the job takes over, the horror elements of the film start to surface. The spirits that exist inside of the hotel start to exert their influence and the tensions within the family start rise. One of the best scenes in the movie is when his wife accuses Torrance of physically mishandling his son. In an effort to deal with the accusation, he travels through certain parts of the hotel, and lands in the empty bar.

The spirits of the establishment communicate with him, and Torrance's delight at finally being offered a drink is downright eerie. When they contact him in the men's bathroom and he converses with the ghost that was the previous caretaker years ago, the mannerisms on his face are creepy and sympathetic at the same time. Finally, when Jack Torrance does lose it and goes after his wife and child, viewers get the chance to see one really deranged man. For instance, when he claims he wants to take a bat and beat his wife's head in, audiences can't help but recoil. When he chases them into one of the bathrooms and takes an ax to the door that separates them, he confidently and alarming yells the classic line, "Here's Johnny!" Finally, when the dust settles and the final scene where Torrance is chasing his son through the massive maze is over...the crazed, frozen look on Nicholson's face probably could not have been pulled off by another actor.

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