'Heath Ledger Should Win Oscar For Dark Knight Joker Role'

A top U.S. movie critic has heralded Heath Ledger’s performance in The Dark Knight as Oscar-worthy, and is championing the late star for a posthumous award.

In his critique of the upcoming Batman movie, Rolling Stone's Peter Travers calls Ledger's portrayal of The Joker "mad-crazy-blazing brilliant."

He goes on to write: "It's typical of Ledger's total commitment to films as diverse as Brokeback Mountain and I'm Not There that he does nothing out of vanity or the need to be liked.

"Ledger's Joker has no gray areas - he's all rampaging id. He creates a Joker for the ages."

Ledger, who died from an accidental drug overdose in January takes on The Joker role which Jack Nicholson portrayed in Tim Burton's 1989 Batman film.

And Travers in convinced Ledger is bound for Oscar gold: "If there's a movement to get him the first posthumous Oscar since Peter Finch won for 1976's Network, sign me up."