The Best of Heath Ledger (outside of The Joker/TDK)

So much that could've been. The Joker of course was an incredibly display of his immense talent, but earlier in his career he also shone in such a wide variety of roles...

10 Things I Hate About You (1999)

His Hollywood debut, though he retains his Aussie accent in this one, and a very fine debut it is. A modernization of Taming of the Shrew in a high school setting, this could've been a very problematic film due to the fact that the source material could be seen as rather dated, so to speak, in its views of relationships and gender dynamics. The film sidesteps this by being breezy and fun and never taking itself too seriously, just like the play. Ledger plays bad boy Patrick who helps sweet Cameron (his skinnier, more boyish doppelganger JGL) get the girl Bianca (Laris Oleynik) by going out with Bianca's sister Kat (Julia Stiles). It's a simple role and his character arc is fairly predictable, but Ledger is so charming and funny in the role you don't care, and that 'Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You' sequence is some terrific, old-school movie charm stuff.

A Knight's Tale (2001)

A tremendously underrated film that somehow manages to pull off the combination of rock and roll and medieval jousting. Ledger's William Thatcher is not the prestigious, valiant Knight who tells tales of great sentence and devotes his life to the service of Christ in the Canterbury Tales, he's more fun and endearing than that. A squire who masquerades as 'Sir Ulrich von Liechtenstein', the film subsequently plays out a bit like Gladiator with laughs in tournament after tournament, and Ledger is just a great hero to follow throughout. He has great chemistry with his two fellow squires Alan Tudyk and Mark Addy, and the one and only Paul Bettany as Geoffrey Chaucer himself. He's a funny and foolish hero you root for, but is also very affecting when the film delves into his backstory.

Monster's Ball (2001)

Short role but that's all Ledger needs to make an impact. Even if you haven't seen this film, you'll probably know about Halle Berry's daring performance as struggling single mother Leticia, whose imprisoned husband's (Sean Combs) executioner Hank (Billy Bob Thornton) comes into her life. Ledger plays Hank's son, and only appears in the opening scenes of the film, which I also feels is by far the stronger sequence. It's atmospheric, tautly scripted, and really drives home the horrible lives of our protagonists with a sense of purpose to the direction, unlike the second half which seems to meander in misery, and not in a particularly compelling way. Ledger's Sonny is a harrowing portrait of the product of emotional abuse and lack of fatherly love. His final scene is particularly painful to watch, and you really feel the weight of his exit even though it's not really the film's focus.

Brokeback Mountain (2005)

If you liked Joel Edgerton's close-to-the-chest and subtle work this year, look no further than Ang Lee's iconic Western for another Aussie pulling off the difficult trick of using mannerisms to create a unique portrayal of a reserved, quiet man. Ledger's Ennis and Jake Gyllenhaal's Jack are the two most essential elements of Brokeback Mountain, without them the film would not have worked. The performance garnered him his first Oscar nomination, and it's a wholly deserved one; in fact, as impressive as Philip Seymour Hoffman's work as Capote was, I think Heath would have also deserved to win that year. It's such a subtle performance that grows throughout the film in such an understated way, yet when it hits you emotionally, it really makes an impact. He has great quiet chemistry with Gyllenhaal, helps lift the more weakly scripted side of the film when the two are parted, and his final few scenes are a tremendous portrayal of grief and regret.

Casanova (2005)

In the same year he gave his subtlest performance, he also gave his most flamboyant turn as yes, a casanova in a slight but very enjoyable period piece. As Giacomo Casanova, the resident philanderer of Venice and source of the church's consternation, he's an absolute hoot every scene. As a man completely without scruples he makes for such an endearing hero even when his actions are less than savoury, and is just a whole lot of fun to watch throughout. It's nice to see him have so much fun in a comical role even as he was beginning to sink his teeth into weightier material.

Candy (2006)

The film is one of those tough-to-watch gritty films about drug addiction, the focus being two young bohemian lovers, Dan (Ledger) and Candy (an excellent Abbie Cornish). The film plays out a bit like a moern-day Days of Wine and Roses with drugs, and both actors are terrific in portraying how drug addiction and crime drives them apart, together, and apart again. It's a tough watch, not one I'd necessarily recommend especially taking into account Ledger's own personal troubles, but it features a particularly downplayed and realistic portrayal of a conflicted addict by Ledger, plagued with not only his drug dependency but also his guilt over having dragged Candy into his lifestyle.