I am Legend (2007) revisited

From Men in suits to "Men in Black (1997)" star Will Smith, who first rose to fame as the rapper "Fresh Prince" in the '80s followed by the television series "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air".

After the huge success of "Independence Day (1996)" as CPT Steve Hiller and "Men in Black" as Agent J, Will Smith became a bankable movie star and went on to make more box office hits, including "Bad Boys II". Interestingly, Will Smith turned down the role of Neo in "The Matrix" in favor of "Wild Wild West".

In "I am Legend (2007)" (previously posted here but decided to change his top which was way too light in color), Will Smith plays US Army virologist Lieutenant Colonel Robert Neville, possibly the last healthy human in New York City and the entire world in 2012 after the outbreak of a lethal virus in December 2009 wiped out 90% of the planet's human population, with 9% of the survivors having degenerated into a primal state of aggression and began to react painfully to UV radiation, forcing them to hide in buildings and other dark places during the day. Less than 1% remained completely immune to the virus, but were hunted and killed by the infected or committed suicide due to their isolation.



Neville has his pet dog, Samantha (Sam) for company, along with mannequins he has set up as patrons of a video store, and recordings of old news and entertainment broadcasts.



Robert Neville (Will Smith) uses a semi-automatic Colt AR-15 model that loosely resembles an M4A1. His AR is also equipped with an ACOG (TA31 Series) sight attachment throughout the movie. The M4 Carbine has a distinctive 'step down' in the barrel to allow for mounting of the M203 grenade launcher.

William Fichtner as Gotham National Bank Manager

I only noticed William Fichtner as Colonel William Sharp in "Armageddon (1998)" which starred Bruce Willis of course, and "Black Hawk Down (2001)" as Sergeant First Class Jeff Sanderson (based on real Delta Force operator Paul Howe). He was also in "Equilibrium (2002)" which starred pre-"Batman/Bruce Wayne" Christian Bale. He went on to appear regularly in the "Prison Break" TV series from Season 2 alongside Wentworth Miller and Dominic Purcell before landing the minor role of Gotham National Bank Manager in "The Dark Knight (2008)".

As the bank manager who works for the mob, William Fichtner pulls out a Remington 870 shotgun from under his desk and shoots one of the clowns in the back; he then proceeds to shoot at the other two in the lobby, one of which is the masked Joker.

William Fichtner and his very nice suit is from Saturday Toys "Men in suits" series. He also come with extras such as shades and cell phone (Remington 870 Shotgun NOT included)

Bank Manager: "The criminals in this town used to believe in things. Honor... respect! Look at you. What do you believe in, huh? What do you believe in?!"
[The Joker kneels down, grabs the manager's face, and sticks a grenade attached to a string into his mouth]
The Joker: "I believe whatever doesn't kill you simply makes you..." [Joker takes off his clown mask for the first time, to reveal the horrific scars that extend his mouth into a giant grin] "...stranger."

Other men in suits: Daniel Craig as James Bond 007, Sean Connery as Henry Jones Sr, Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne, Brandon Routh as Clark Kent, Matt Damon as Jason Bourne, Hugo Weaving as Agent Smith, Jean Reno as Hubert Fiorentini in "Wasabi", Robert De Niro as Neil McCauley in "Heat" and Brad Pitt as Detective David Mills in "Se7en"

Jailhouse Joker

One of the most famous poses that capture the essence of Heath Ledger's Joker - Jailhouse Joker, after being apprehended by Lieutenant James Gordon (Gary Oldman) who actually saves Batman (Christian Bale) at the scene (see previous post) where they prevent the Joker from killing Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart). In recognition of his actions, Gordon is appointed Police Commissioner.

[Heath Ledger takes the role back to its dark and nasty roots, and gave us the best screen Joker ever. May he rest in peace :( ]

At the Police Station, the Joker doesn't seem one bit perturbed by his predicament.

Mayor: What do we got?
Lt. James Gordon: Nothing. No DNA, no fingerprints. Clothing is custom, no tags or brand labels. No name, no other alias. Nothing in his pockets but knives and lint.

Other than the headsculpt which wasn't quite up to scratch, Hot Toys did an excellent job on their first Joker, especially in the outfit area. Here we have his jacket and overcoat removed.

Instead of a purple inner shirt, his is grey. Had to switch headsculpt from the second release Joker.

Love the socks, nice touch by Hot Toys even though they are hidden from view most of the time

Lt. James Gordon: What did you do with Harvey?
The Joker: Me? I was right here! [shows off his handcuffed wrists] Who did you leave him with, hm? Your people? Assuming, of course, that they are still your people…and not Maroni's. Does it depress you, Commissioner, to know just how alone you really are? Does it make you feel responsible for Harvey Dent's current predicament?
Lt. James Gordon: Where is Harvey?
The Joker: What's the time?
Lt. James Gordon: What does that have to do with anything?
The Joker: Well...depending on the time...he might be in one place...or several.

Shirt goes all the way, long enough to not expose any butt crack. The stitching of the vest at the back of the neck area isn't too great but is mostly covered up.

Interrogation by Batman
[After Batman slams Joker's head into the table]
The Joker: Never start with the head. The victim gets all fuzzy.

Batman: WHERE ARE THEY?!
Joker: You choose between one life or the other. Your friend the District Attorney. Or his blushing bride to be.
[Batman punches The Joker in the face again as The Joker laughs hysterically through all of it]
Joker: You have nothing - nothing to threaten me with, nothing to do with all your strength.
[Batman picks The Joker up by his shirt]
Joker: But don't worry, I'm gonna tell you where they are. Both of 'em. And that's the point: you'll have to choose. He's at 250 52nd Street. And she's at…Avenue X at Cicero.

Joker with Smith & Wesson M76

This is Hot Toys Joker (Heath Ledger) about to face Batman (Christian Bale) and his Batpod on the streets of Gotham, after Batman thwarts his attempt to kill Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart) and upended Joker's massive trailer truck.

Made possible by combining two Jokers, the first Joker released by Hot Toys in his Joker outfit and the headsculpt from the second release, plus the Smith & Wesson M76, of course. Much prefer the second head sculpt to the first.

The face-off scene between the Joker and Batman on the streets of Gotham is reminiscent of the original "Batman" movie by Tim Burton (released in 1989) where the Joker, played by Jack Nicholson, faces off with the Batman (Michael Keaton) in his Batplane

Close-up of his Smith & Wesson M76 submachine gun

"Ooooh. Wanna play? Come on!" when the Batpod charges towards the Joker

Now bring on the nurse's uniform (notice that Harvey Dent/Aaron Eckhart's face is not scarred as it should be)

Check out pictures of the 12-inch Heath ledger Nurse Joker HERE

Bank Robber Joker by Hot Toys

First previewed here, now it's in my hands :) It's even nicer when it's up close and personal.

Comes with the customary slip case cover but this isn't Hot Toys' usual slip case cover. They chose to deviate from a movie still shot which is actually quite refreshing.

The back of the slip case cover shows the actual product shots

Box cover also doesn't show actual Joker

Basic Joker out of box with his bank robber outfit consisting of shirt, jacket, trousers with nice leather belt with buckle and shoes, no socks this time though

When Hot Toys released their first Joker, I didn't think that Hot Toy's Heath Ledger Joker head sculpt could get any better. I'm so glad to be proven wrong. What a fantastic head sculpt, true to the character!


Hot Toys Bank Robber Joker's accessories include: one bank robber's bag for putting his smoke and fragmentation grenades, the Bank Robber Joker head sculpt, clown mask, extra pair of gloved hands, Smith & Wesson M76 submachine gun with foldable stock and removable magazine, Glock 18 pistol with removable 33 rd ammo clip, deck of joker cards and stack of dollar bills

The Smith & Wesson M76 (Originally developed by S&W for the US Navy during the Vietnam War after Sweden imposed an arms embargo thereby depriving the SEALs of the Carl Gustaf M/45 (Swedish K) SMG, the M76 saw limited combat service in Vietnam and eventually S&W ceased production of the original weapon in 1974) is used by The Joker, during his faceoff against Batman in the streets of Gotham and not in the bank.

The bag contains the smoke and fragmentation grenades neatly packed so as to prevent them from rolling about. The Joker certainly doesn't want things to blow up unexpectedly.

A Glock 18 is used by The Joker in the bank heist. It has a chrome slide, and is equipped with an extended 33 rd magazine. It is also used with a suppressor during the scene in the hospital where he confronts Harvey Dent in a nurse's uniform.

Hot Toys Bank Robber Joker with his clown mask. I liked that the mask is soft, rubbery and flexible. It fits well over his face and you can see his eyes through the eye slits.

Happy: So why do they call him "The Joker"?
Dopey: I heard he wears make-up.
Happy: Make-up?
Dopey: Yeah, to scare people. You know, war paint.

One of the earliest teaser shots of Joker from The Dark Knight has him standing by the sidewalk waiting for his ride to the bank, carrying his bag and mask, with his back towards us.

Hot Toys Bank Robber Joker without his clown mask

Hot Toys gave us not one but two GREAT sculpts of Heath Ledger as The Joker with this release


"Why so serious?" "Let’s put a smile on that face!"