Batman raises the stakes in his war on crime. With the help of Lieutenant Jim Gordon and District Attorney Harvey Dent Batman sets out to dismantle the remaining criminal organizations that plague the city streets. The partnership proves to be effective but they soon find themselves prey to a reign of chaos unleashed by a rising criminal mastermind known to the terrified citizens of Gotham as The Joker.
Review
We've been subjected to enormous amounts of hype and marketing for the Dark Knight. We've seen Joker scavenger hunts and one of the largest viral campaigns in advertising history and it culminates with the actual release of the movie.
Everything that's been said is pretty much spot on. This is the first time I can remember where a summer blockbuster film far surpasses the hype.
For as much action as there is in this movie it's the acting that makes it a great piece of work. Between all the punches explosions and stuntwork is some great dialog work. All the actors have their moments.
Bale's Batman is the definitive Batman because we see everything in this character finally on film. Martial arts skills cunning great tactical thinking forensic application technological genius to advance or improve Luscious Fox's inventionstechnological breakthroughs intimidating personality and even a little swashbuckling.
As for Heath yes he gets credit for his performance as the Joker. But you have to also recognize Jonathan and Chris Nolan for the writing and treatment of the character. It's not just the fact that Ledger makes the Joker so menacing but the Nolans have given the character this great manifesto that drives its actions. The Joker's stance on chaos order anarchy the morality of the average modern human being make the character so interesting psychologically. The Nolans drafted a complex character and only a perfect performance could've pulled something like this off. That's how difficult of a role this was and that's why Ledger's performance is so great.
This isn't an action movie. It's a film that explores literary themes of the hero and villain as well as order and anarchy. Yes listen to the dialog because it's all in there.