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In what is arguably the greatest superhero movie of all time, the Joker (played by the late Heath Ledger) always seems to be one step ahead of the law. The strategic interactions between the police and the conniving villain are an illustration of game theory in action.
Near the end of movie, the Joker rigs two full passenger ferries to explode at midnight and tells the passengers that if they try to escape the ferries, the bombs will detonate. Each ferry is given itself a chance to save itself by hitting a detonator button attached to the explosives on the other ferry. If neither ferry hits the detonator and blows up the other boat, the Joker vows that he will blow up both ferries. To complicate matters, one of the ferries is filled with civilian passengers and includes a number of children, while the other ferry is transporting prisoners.
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