Memorable, and a great Batman movie, but ultimately too cumbersome for its own good

Rating: 7/10 (1 August 2013)

There are parts of "The Dark Knight" that seize my attention - the Batpod chase, the Bats v. Joker interrogation, Batman's foray into China, and that opening bank heist was extremely well put together - but the movie from start to finish feels bloated and overlong. Part of the greatness of "Batman Begins" is that it was grand in scope without becoming top-heavy. I realize a major influence on "TDK" was the sprawling crime saga that is "Heat", but I'd rather watch that movie.
Which isn't to say that this is a bad movie; far from it. So let's cut to the chase on where this movie delivers. The cast, once again, is incredible (Nolan was smart to surround himself with pros), the on- location footage goes a long way in the realism department, and the big action setpieces are pretty crazy.
And then The Joker strolls onto the screen and boldly claims the movie for his own. Heath Ledger doesn't just dazzle in the role, he makes off with the movie like a crazed bank robber. Ledger's ballsy performance makes this clown both frightening and hilarious. He owns this movie - and that's saying heaps with a sterling cast like this. This is a textbook case of watching a gifted actor dominate the screen.
7/10
Also, let's be honest, Bale's throat cancer voice was pretty effing bad.