Great film, deserves the praise, but 7th best of all time???

Rating: 8/10 (17 July 2009)

I cannot possibly see how this is the 7th best film of all time on IMDb's list (What, behind Seven Samurai, Wonderful Life and the peerless Donnie Darko to name just a few??) but it is a superb film nevertheless with a stunning performance from Heath Ledger. Simultaneously scary, funny, over the top yet subtle (maybe even to De Niro proportions). Heath's Joker achieves the very difficult task of creating both a likable and a hateful character in one. Nothing short of a brilliant piece of acting which could have won him the Oscar without the undoubted wave of grief following his untimely death.
There are I suppose, some nit picking flaws; Dent's Face is so badly damaged, it couldn't possibly function as it does and although it's comic book, a little more realism would have enhanced the experience, the whole premise of good overcoming evil ultimately hinged on every single person on the two boats not wanting to commit murder, even though it would almost certainly mean their own death. Nice idea and it probably worked in the context of the moral meaning of the film but someone would have flipped the switch or tried harder than they did to do so. Minor points, that IMO could have been better portrayed. Still a great movie in every sense. Just not the 7th best of all time!