Dark Knight shines bright!!!

Rating: 10/10 (18 July 2008)

After sitting in the darkest, dirtiest slums of Gotham City for a little over two and a half hours straight, I still didn't want to go home. "The Dark Knight" was brilliant in every way. Although this is the darkest superhero movie to date, the incredible vision of Director Christopher Nolan, the captivating action sequences, the philosophical themes, and the pitch-perfect performances delivered by every member of the all-star ensemble made "The Dark Knight" shine bright, especially, of course, the darkest performance of them all, The Joker, brilliantly played by the late Heath Ledger.
Heath has just been showered with enthusiastic reviews since the early screenings. You can't help but wonder how good Heath can possibly be. After watching the screening on Wednesday, trust me, Heath is so good it's scary. You hold your breath in absolute awe with every scene he enters, and linger on his every word. You laugh along because he's hilarious, but deep down inside you are terrified. The Joker gets so deep into your psyche you find yourself rooting for the lunatic, and wondering why.
Thank God Christian Bale as Batman is just as likable and just as ruthless, and we're all relieved that we still have a reason to root for the good guy. Once you get past the phony raspy voice Batman must feign to conceal his identity, you will begin to appreciate Christian Bale as the most complicated Bruce Wayne to date, faced with serious cerebral issues, whether he's struggling to find out what's best for the city, what do about his love for Rachel Dawes, and what the heck is going on in the Joker's crazy cranium.
At some point in the movie, every character is faced with a seemingly simple, yet ultimately difficult decision, what's right and what's wrong. For someone like Harvey Dent, perfectly executed by Aaron Eckhart, everything can be made right. For the Joker, the whole world is wrong. Throughout the entire course of the movie, the line between right and wrong gets thinner and thinner, and what ensues is complete mayhem.
"The Dark Knight" is a total package. You get an adrenaline-pumping action flick, a suspenseful crime drama, an emotional love triangle, the perfect amount of comedy, and a complete work of art. Round of applause once again for all the performances. Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, and Gary Oldman are just naturally likable actors. Christian Bale, Aaron Eckhart, and Maggie Gyllenhaal continue to impress again and again. And yes, the crowd was applauding when Tiny Lister made his appearance (aka Deebo for "Friday" fans and Zeus for wrestling fanatics). And sigh, Heath Ledger.
Jack Nicholson's Joker had a line that haunted me as I grew up watching Tim Burton's film: "You ever dance with the devil under the pale moon light?" The new Joker introduces a new question to torment the ages: "Why so serious?" The eerie monologue that introduces this creepy quote is sure to leave a lasting imprint in the back of your mind for years. And Heath Ledger delivers a haunting performance that will join the ranks of Anthony Hopkins as Hannibal and Javier Bardem as Anton Chigurh, and will go down as one of the greatest villains, if not the best, ever depicted in the history of film.