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Starring: Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Aaron Eckhart, Gary Oldman, Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman
Directed by: Christopher Nolan

5 Stars out of 5

When Batman first appeared in comic books in the late 1930s, Gotham City was brought to life with bold, bright colors.  In The Dark Knight, director Christopher Nolan's follow-up to 2005's Batman Begins, Gotham is a gray area.  The entire city is infected with corruption and crime.  The mobs control the streets, the citizens live in fear, and most of the police officers will overlook a few murders for the right amount of cash.  In the middle of this war zone are three men who want to make the city a better place: Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale), Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart) and Jim Gordon (Gary Oldman).  They may have different methods of cleaning up the streets, but they each want what's best for their ailing metropolis.  Unfortunately for them, there's one man that wants nothing more than to watch Gotham burn.  They call him the Joker.

After a thrilling bank robbery pulled off by the Joker (Heath Ledger) and his band of masked thugs, The Dark Knight opens with Batman fighting not only mobsters, but wannabe do-gooders dressed in their own bat-suits.  One vigilante has inspired others, and it soon becomes clear that the Joker himself may exist in response to Batman's theatrics.  The villainous madman, who's always covered in white makeup that looks greasy and smeared on, decides to go on a crime spree that will stop only if Batman has the courage to reveal himself to the city.  As Bruce Wayne tries to decide if Gotham would be better off without Batman, district attorney Harvey Dent steps in to clean up the streets using his political power.

Like most superhero movies The Dark Knight features a costumed crime-fighter battling an over the top foe, but that's where its similarities to the rest of the genre end.  Nolan certainly delivers plenty of jaw-dropping spectacle during the movie's lengthy running time (especially in a thrilling chase sequence involving the new bat-pod), but he's more interested in creating a gripping story and unforgettable characters.  This is a tale of one city being torn apart by madness and evil, and Nolan uses this setup to create an epic crime drama that's more akin to a film like Heat rather than Iron Man.  The Dark Knight shoots for something more ambitious than your typical summer blockbuster, and the fact that it succeeds so brilliantly is a testament to the talent both behind and in front of the camera.

It's the talent in front of the camera that makes the film such a blast to watch.  Christian Bale is once again perfect as the tormented hero, though instead of being front and center like he was in Batman Begins, here he's part of a true ensemble.  Aaron Eckhart gets nearly as much screen time as the valiant Harvey Dent, and he brings an earnestness and charm to the character that makes his eventual tragedy extremely powerful.  Gary Oldman, Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman all reprise their roles to great effect, while Maggie Gyllenhaal fixes the first film's one casting mistake by replacing Katie Holmes as Rachel Dawes.  Familiar actors like Nestor Carbonell (Lost), Eric Roberts (Heroes) and William Fichtner (Prison Break) also show up and acquit themselves well in minor roles.

Regardless of how great the rest of the cast is, it's Heath Ledger's performance that will go down in movie history.  His Joker isn't the goofy clown portrayed by Jack Nicholson in Tim Burton's Batman, but an anarchist and psychopath who gets a gleeful kick out of exploiting the dark side of humanity.  Ledger, with his ability to turn each line into a demented little show stopper, owns the screen every second he's on it.  The screenplay by Christopher Nolan and his brother Jonathan gives the Joker the depth needed to become one of Hollywood's most memorable villains, and Ledger elevates the already great material.  "I think you and I are destined to do this forever," he mutters to Batman late in the film.  It's a tragedy that the actor's untimely demise earlier this year has made such a thing impossible.  This is a performance for the ages, and likely one that'll be recognized come Oscar season.

The thing that elevates The Dark Knight above other superhero films is its desire to ask questions of its audience.  Is it better to fight a terrorist with brute force or by going through the political system?  Is it possible to keep a moral code while fighting those who have no rules?  These are questions that few movies bother to ask, especially those that are considered "popcorn entertainment."  These themes are not only interesting within the context of the film, but it's hard not to see how they relate to our current political climate.  The Dark Knight has more to it than meets the eye, which makes multiple viewings a must.

Due to my frightening obsession with the art form, I see nearly every movie based on a comic book.  Some of them are great and many of them are terrible.  The Dark Knight is the best so far.  Christopher Nolan has crafted a film that will not only be remembered as an amazing superhero movie, but one that will live on as a thought-provoking tale of cops, criminals and vigilantes.  Summer entertainment now has a new standard to aspire to.


- Don Williams, BuddyTV Staff Writer
(Image courtesy of Warner Brothers)