I went in just waiting for the movie to disappoint me. It couldn’t possibly live up to all the hype, could it? Well, I hate to say it, but not only does The Dark Knight live up to the lofty expectations I had for it, it exceeds my wildest dreams. In a year dominated by comic book films of all shapes and sizes, The Dark Knight has somehow managed to knock off Iron Man, Hellboy II, and everything else that’s come out this year. When I say this is probably the best film of the year, I mean it. I really don’t see anything on the release schedule that could even compare with this movie. Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale, in excellent form) continues his war on the organized crime syndicates of Gotham City in his guise as vigilante hero Batman. However, Batman isn’t alone now. Lt. Jim Gordon (Gary Oldman), Batman’s ally in the first film, is rising through the ranks of Gotham’s finest. Assistant District Attorney Rachel Dawes (Maggie Gyllenhaal, taking over for Katie Holmes) continues to fight the good fight, and hotshot new District Attorney Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart) has put a public face to the war on crime, becoming Gotham’s white knight, their best hope for reclaiming their city thanks to his fearless and bold moves against the allied criminal elements. Between Batman on one side, and the few remaining good cops on the other, the mafia is getting desperate.
Enter The Joker (Heath Ledger). After a daring robbery on a mafia-controlled bank and a lot of shotgun-fu, the deformed mastermind puts himself on the maps of both the mob and the police, and he offers the syndicates a chance to stop the guy who is causing all the problems, Batman. And if, say, Gotham gets thrown into chaos and the criminal element can take advantage in the process, so much the better. Christopher Nolan has grown in the director’s chair as well. One of my few complaints about Batman Begins was the claustrophobic camerawork. With an actor as fit and imposing as Christian Bale, there’s the ability to pan the camera back a bit and take in more of the stunt work. To his credit, Nolan does that this time around, especially in the scenes involving The Joker. The film is very long, even by today’s blockbuster standards, but the pacing is crisp and the movie doesn’t lag a bit. There’s always something going on, and fortunately, the viewer is completely invested at all times. Heath Ledger is getting a lot of buzz about a potential Oscar nomination, and quite frankly, he deserves it. From his first appearance to his final scene, Ledger’s menacing yet funny Joker absolutely dominates the screen. He presents a layered, nuanced performance swinging wildly from extremes in what had to be a taxing role. Unlike other actors who might chew the scenery, Ledger knew when to turn it on and when to dial it back to keep his take on the Joker from becoming overwhelming. No less deserving of praise is Aaron Eckhart’s Harvey Dent/Two Face. In some ways, his role is as hard as Ledger’s Joker, if only because Dent has to shift his role completely in the course of the film from hero to villain. The makeup, which is INCREDIBLE, helps immensely in this task. Bale is still great as the Batman, and of course Maggie Gyllenhaal is a serious upgrade over the mediocre (I’ll be nice) Katie Holmes in the love interest role. Morgan Freeman’s Lucius Fox gets a bit more screen time this trip around and serves as less of a technical advisor and more of an accomplice. Michael Caine is dead on (again) as Alfred the loyal butler, squeezing out laughs and pathos from his role. It’s hard for an actor of Caine’s caliber not to shine, especially given his chemistry with Bale. Still, despite the great performances from all the cast (especially the notable heavies in the mafia syndicates, lead by the excellent Eric Roberts as Sal Maroni), this is definitely the Heath Ledger show. I’m lavishing this movie with praise, but honestly, no matter how much I go into detail about how awesome this film is, I can’t possibly do it justice. It really is that good. If you haven’t seen it, go and see it as soon as possible. This could very well be the best comic book movie ever made, bar none. Absolutely picture perfect, totally riveting, and the fastest two and a half hours you’ll spend in a cinema. This is what all comic book movies should be. If Watchmen is half this good, I’ll be thrilled I can’t wait for the third Batman film.

title: “The Dark Knight Review” ShowToc: true date: “2025-07-13” author: “Richard Peart”

I’m also in a difficult position with regard to reviewing the movie. I have seen it and I do have strong opinions on it, the problem is writing them down in a way that won’t spoil the film for anyone reading this. It’s not an easy task so this wont be a standard review as I won’t talk about any of the plot points – why bother? Anyone visiting this site already knows the score. Christopher Nolan has also delivered what may be the best sequel ever (something that will no doubt be discussed in pubs for years to come). Batman Begins was a great movie and a fantastic restart to a dead franchise; although flawed, it paved the way for massive improvements. I won’t say The Dark Knight is perfect, but I will say it’s damn close. Nolan and his brother have written an undeniably brilliant script (Oscar-worthy in my opinion), intelligent, surprisingly witty and at some points shocking. The cinematography is fantastic, practical and computer effects are nigh on flawless and the movie’s colouration is simply perfect for Gotham City’s Caped Crusader. The most memorable thing about the movie for me was its scale. It’s massive – on a scale usually reserved for the likes of James Cameron. For the first time ever we see Batman escape from the confines of Gotham and venture forth to Hong Kong for a brief bit of ass-kickery and one of cinema’s coolest building exits.
From the first few seconds the movie has a deep and unnerving sense of foreboding. The music, the visuals, the costumes and make up all emphasised by the untimely tragedy of Heath Ledger’s death. And that does make an impact. As you watch his performance you can’t help but think “shit, this guy’s dead now”. So is all the praise merited? Should Heath Ledger be nominated for an Oscar? Is his performance better than Old Crazy Jack’s or just different?
You could easily argue this is the Joker’s movie – in fact, Bale himself has said Ledger just runs away with the movie. But one of Nolan’s strong points is his ability to get a fantastic supporting cast – Michael Caine is as likeable as ever, Morgan Freeman is just too cool for school and Maggie Gyllenhaal proves why ditching Katie Holmes was a very wise move. Meanwhile Bale proves he is officially the best Batman ever (and a damn cool Bruce Wayne who gets a fair bit of screen time). When it comes to ass-kicking and hard-core Batman action Chris Nolan delivers by the monster truck load. Batman is finally portrayed on film as a scary, double hard bastard. When he punches someone you can feel it, when he jumps of a building your heart skips a beat and when he introduces the Batpod, well, I almost shit with excitement – it’s one of the coolest scenes I have ever seen on screen. The production design is top of its game (as you would expect!). The minor roles are acted brilliantly, the plot twists slapped me round and kept me on my toes and the middle 20 minutes is edge-of-your-seat, breathtaking action at its best. The Dark Knight is dark in tone, incredibly well written, well acted and deserves to go down in both financial history and fan history as a remarkable achievement in movie making. I love this movie and I think you will too. Check out iGizmo magazine for an interactive look into Batman’s gadgets – or read our other reviews of The Dark Knight here and here.