I'm stunned. Films have no right being this good.

Rating: 10/10 (24 July 2008)

The Dark Knight
**WARNING: some spoilers below**
I'm stunned. Films have no right being this good.
I have no real words to describe what I've just seen. I can't quite process it yet. It is going to need several more screenings to unravel all of the stuff that is in that film. This isn't a superhero film...this is a complex ideas driven crime thriller about two outlaws vying for the soul of a city. One who is dedicated to preserving order but at what cost? The other dedicated to creating chaos at any cost to expose the 'true nature' of humanity and to prove a point; to push Gotham's Dark Knight and its White Knight beyond the limits. And caught in between are the mob, the police, and the people at large.
Welcome to a world without rules. Indeed.
It's a film about our society. About how fragile it really is. About how close we always are to true chaos and how easy it is to slip in to anarchy or do the wrong thing for the right reason. It's a film about choices.
Heath Ledger...what can you say? One of THE best performances I've EVER seen. Unpredictable, insane, vile, intelligent, disturbing, blackly funny, horrific, entrancing...all at the same time. This is probably the most subtle and nuanced 'BIG' performance ever. There is so much detail and depth to it. Just give him that Oscar right now.
This film was filled with so many "Holy ....!" moments that either made me giggle with manic glee to rival the Joker himself or made my jaw go slack or just gripped me so hard I couldn't move for fear at what was going to happen next. Too many to list them all...but the Joker's disappearing pencil trick, dropping the mob boss, flipping the truck and then Batman's quick turn from the wall on his bat bike are just a few. Oh, and the sight of the Joker dressed as a nurse is an image now burned forever in to my brain.
If I had one minor criticism it would be that Harvey's downfall and descent to madness is a little to fast, but Aaron Eckhert is so good that you still buy it.
**START OF SPOILERS**
And what a way to end.
Batman makes the sacrifice and truly becomes the outcast, the hunted. He is stripped back down to the basic essence of the character: an outlaw, a vigilante, a well intentioned criminal who is to be pursued and brought to justice by society.
**END OF SPOILERS**
The Dark Knight is a massive achievement. It is a film that transcends its genre roots to become something much bigger and bolder while still remaining faithful enough to be recognisable. It is quite simply one of the best films I've ever seen. Just how far up my list it goes I'm not sure. It will need a good few more viewings to unravel it all the more, but as of now...it's pretty darn high up.
Stunning!