The Dark Knight

Directed by: Christopher Nolan
Starring: Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Aaron Eckhart, Michael Caine, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Gary Oldman, Morgan Freeman, Monique Curnen, Cillian Murphy, Eric Roberts, Anthony Michael Hall
Running Time: 2h 32min

The Dark Knight gets everything right. From top to bottom, it is cinematic bliss, comic book eye candy that thrills, chills, and promises to make a Batman lover out of you! Structured and tailored like a crime movie, yet thematically rich in the sense of the original comic books, Nolan has delivered what could very well be the untopable film of the franchise.

Slightly attached to its predecessor, Batman Begins, but very much its own film, The Dark Knight dives right into the action and never lets the audience look back. Free from the unnecessary need of retelling origins, the script is very tight and well layered, to please fans of the character, and fans of thought provoking films. The war allegories are apparent, and nicely thread into the myths surrounding Batman and his conflicting status as hero or vigilante, crime fighter or crime agitator.

Utilizing the Joker and Harvey Dent/Two-Face as the main protagonists enables the aforementioned theme of good and evil, justice and anarchy, to be fully played out throughout the cast. Casting two fine actors like Ledger and Eckhart only adds to the phenomenal cast from the first film, (Oldman, Caine, Freeman), who surprisingly get a lot more screen time and more fully fleshed characters. Oldman is especially amazing as the most down to earth, everyman hero in the film, Gordon, who is heroic in his family ideals and lieutenant role. Caine nails the wisdom and sauciness that is Bruce Wayne's butler, Alfred, and Freeman does great work, almost like Q from the Bond films, in his disapproving manner of Wayne's way with toys and gadgetry. Another big plus is the casting of Gyllenhaal in place of Katie Holmes from the previous film, as she is much more convincing as a love interest/legal eagle than Holmes could ever hope to be.

Still, the film belongs to Ledger and Eckhart, who embody their premier rogues gallery villains to a tee. Eckhart has enough charisma and menace to form the dual personality of Two-Face, while Ledger turns in a career performance, crafting a Joker that is unlike any psychotic we've seen on film. His mannerisms, tics, and vocal styling are unnerving and frightening, yet he still manages to find the sick humour and fearlessness that makes the Joker so enjoyably dangerous. Just when you think he's down, he gets back up, and his unpredictable nature is what makes him such a match for the Bat.

Now all this and nary a mention of the dark knight himself, which was cause for alarm as the first run of films fell into the trap of the ever decreasing Bat part. However, Nolan knows to keep the Batman at the center of it all, developing him as he rethinks his reason for existence, and keeps his intelligence featured as his greatest weapon. Sure, all the toys he has make for an amazing amount of stunts and chases (the batmobile/motorcycle is a wicked machine) but his cunning and puzzle solving remain key, just as they are in the comic books.

The beauty of the film is that it packs a powerful amount of visual excitement, while staying true to the essence of the characters. It comes across as a well crafted film, that just happens to be about a guy in a bat suit. There's plot twists and surprises, great lines and tense moments, and gorgeous camera work, but underneath it all is a brilliant script that has comic book elements, but plays like a psychological thriller, in the vein of Nolan's already great resume of films. Though it seems to run long, there isn't a moment that isn't worth the wait. Prepare to be blown away, because pop culture icons have never been this good on film.

Grade: A+