The Dark Knight [M]

Director: Christopher Nolan

Starring: Christian Bale, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Heath Ledger, Michael Caine

Christopher Nolan did such wonderful justice to the Batman legacy in Batman Begins that the challenge is on for The Dark Knight. And it does not disappoint. Crime has escalated in Gotham City, as the enigmatic and psychopathic criminal mastermind, The Joker, rallies the underworld to bring Gotham to its knees. Batman himself undergoes transformation, questioning his role in a city gone mad, and we get the introduction of heroic DA Harvey Dent, doomed to tragedy and madness as Two-Face.

In his final role, Heath Ledger owns the part of The Joker, taking him back to the dark, sociopathic and homicidal roots of his 1940s introduction and subsequent 1980s reinvention. He's truly terrifying and it's a triumphant farewell to a gifted actor who died way too young.

It is more than fitting that Ledger has won a posthumous Oscar for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role!

Director Nolan serves up phenomenal action pieces, but delves into the very heart of what makes Batman and his villains so appealing - they are so human, so tragic and the complexities of their psychology are dealt with masterfully, making this more of an epic crime thriller that just happens to feature masked heroes and villains than popcorn superhero escapism. It's good to have you back Batman. (AB)

Rating:

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Internet Movie Database listing for The Dark Knight.