Jack Nicholson has one of those faces that caricature artists love. There are a lot of hooks… that big smile, the widow’s peak, the high arched eyebrows, the small eyes. Here we have a focus I haven’t seen before: Jack Nicholson’s teeth, looking as orderly as the teeth on a comb, but far more frightening. Sometimes teeth are hard to get right, but Jessica pulls a neat trick here, clearly defining the tops and bottoms of each tooth, but leaving the middles blank to create a unified shape. The dark outline of the mouth further pulls in focus.
In Jack Nicholson’s long career, he’s had his pick of fun, interesting roles, and he’s played them to the hilt. Terrifying as bad guys, loveable as bad guys turned good, and funny as grumpy men, he’s often the most interesting thing on the screen. Seems like Jessica loves him best as the Joker.