One of the greatest movies of the decade!

Rating: 10/10 (28 July 2008)

"The Dark Knight" isn't a movie, it's a masterpiece. And I don't mean that in the confines of the comic book genre, oh no! I'm thinking as in "one of the greatest movies of the decade" sense of the word. Dark Knight is all about the price Bruce Wayne pays for fighting injustice as Batman. He has only one rule, which is to never take a life, but gets driven to his limit by homicidal madman, The Joker, leaving him at his most flawed. Though he was wonderful in "Batman Begins", I wasn't quite eager to call Christian Bale the best Batman; with Dark Knight, he rightfully deserves it. Dark Knight not only successes it's predecessor, but it blows the previous efforts before them, pretty much out of existence (though I still love the first Tim Burton movie). Of the supporting cast, Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, and Gary Oldman make a remarkable return in their respective characters, while as Rachel Dawes, Maggie Gyllenhaal thankfully outshines the only weak link in Batman Begins, Katie Holmes. Amazingly notable is Aaron Eckhart as Gotham City DA Harvey Dent, who becomes as much a central character as Batman or Joker. Dent embodies everything that Bruce Wayne stands for as Batman, only without wearing a mask. But unlike Wayne, Dent is far more vulnerable to his enemies and through tragedy, he would inevitably become the villainous Two-Face. Last, but certainly not least, the late Heath Ledger is the true star of Dark Knight. Of course, to rate him as Joker, you'd have to compare him with the legendary Jack Nicholson's portrayal in the Burton movie. Though there are some similarities, in the end, Nicholson gave it a good effort: Ledger IS The Joker. What makes his performance a work of art, is Ledger losing his soul into the character. He shows exactly why in the comics, The Joker is Batman's greatest and deadliest adversary, than Nicholson ever could. More nightmarish than funny, Ledger paints Joker as a psychopath, whose facial scars widen his 'smile', and wears his clown make-up as war paint. He's emotionless and devoid of all humanity, which makes him both sadistic and tragic. Lord only knows how much further Ledger would have gone, had he not been taken away so prematurely. Other familiar faces also make the rounds, including a brief appearance from Cillian Murphy, reprising Scarecrow. Running at 2 1/2 hours, The Dark Knight is never a dull moment. A flawless masterpiece, highlighted by brilliance.