Simply amazing

Rating: 10/10 (29 October 2012)

After the success of "Batman Begins", and the ending scene where Gordon hands Batman the Joker card, the world waited 3 years for what Nolan had in store for them in "The Dark Knight". The only question was, could it deliver? Man... did they deliver!
The film takes place about a year after the events of "Batman Begins", with Batman (Christian Bale) continuing to wage his war on crime reigniting hope in the city and inspiring others, like the newly elected D.A. Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart). Regarded as Gotham's White Knight, Dent is ready to pick up the baton from Batman and carry on the fight against the mob. With the help of his trusted allies, Alfred (Michael Caine), Lucius Fox (Morgan Freeman), and Lieutenant Jim Gordon (Gary Oldman), Batman corners the mob giving Dent the opportunity to convict them all. However Batman, Dent and Gordon find themselves facing a new class of criminal. One that can't help but laugh as he drives Gotham into anarchy and chaos and pushes Batman to the breaking point. Behold the Joker (Heath Ledger).
The acting is superb with Christian Bale delivering another solid performance as Bruce Wayne/Batman. People have complained about his Batman growl, but I actually don't have a problem with it because I understand why he talks that way because he doesn't want anybody to recognize his voice. After seeing this and the other two films, he is definitely my favorite Batman. Aaron Eckhart delivers a compelling version of the character of Harvey Dent/Two-Face and it made me forget all about that clownish version of Two-Face in "Batman Forever", Maggie Gyllenhaal is more convincing as Rachel Dawes than Katie Holmes, even though I didn't mind Katie in "Batman Begins". As the loyal butler, Alfred, no one beats Michael Caine. Morgan Freeman delivers as Lucius Fox, and Gary Oldman as usual does a phenomenal job as Lt. Jim Gordon. A special nod to Eric Roberts as Sal Maroni, who did great in his role as well.
Of course, we must never forget the great Heath Ledger (God rest his soul) as the Joker. I don't really know how to describe this to you, but he really loses himself in this role. A lot of people were initially skeptical when he was announced as the Joker, but I felt the opposite. Though I was let down a bit when the pictures of him in costume came out, seeing him in the trailers erased all my doubts. When I saw this on opening day, and when he pulled off that mask in the beginning of the film in that bank heist scene, I knew I was in for something very special. And that scene when he slams that guy's head into the pencil, almost everybody in my theater laughed but my jaw just dropped. That scene with him in the kitchen was probably the strongest introduction to a character I've ever seen in any movie. Another great thing about the character is that he is able to give good reasons as to why he's doing what he's doing. He understands what's wrong with society, and he's trying to fix it but obviously the way he's going about it is wrong. I don't really know what else I can say that hasn't been said before, other than that he really knocked this right out of the park.
The writing is terrific with some famous lines such as "Why so serious?" and "Some people want to watch the world burn", the score by Hans Zimmer is amazing and definitely fits into Nolan's vision of Batman. Lastly, the directing is outstanding. One thing I've noticed with this movie and the other two, these movies are long but are not dull. The pull you in at the start and don't let you go until the end. When you can make that kind of film, you've hit the jackpot. Nolan is an amazing director, and I think this one is arguably his best film yet. Well done Mr. Nolan!
There are many complaints I've heard about this film that I'd like to address: One complaint I've heard about this movie is that, "It's not about Batman, it's all about the Joker". Well it's not about the Joker because unlike Tim Burton's 1989 Batman film, it's not the Joker's origin story or why he's the Joker. The Joker is the catalyst of what goes on most of the time in the story, but it's Batman. Another complaint I've heard about this film is people say, especially in the scenes where we see the cops and courtroom scenes, "What is this a cop show? Where are the super villains?" Well honestly speaking, at this point you don't clean up the streets by going after the super villains, you go after the mob. They run the show. Plus this film is mostly a tribute to "The Long Halloween", which Christopher Nolan paid tribute to with this film.
In conclusion, all I can say is that this movie is so great and so solid, and this is one of those sequels that improves/surpasses the original. As in sequels, this is right up their with "The Godfather: Part 2", "The Empire Strikes Back", "Terminator 2: Judgement Day" and "Spider-Man 2". This movie is so great, I've watched it many times and will watch it many more times for years to come.