Nice!!

Rating: 9/10 (19 July 2008)

I saw Dark Knight about two hours ago after waiting since the end of "Begins". "Begins" convinced me of Bale as Batman/Wayne, along with Oldman as Gordon, Caine as Alfred and Freeman as Luscious. With "Knight", the second I heard Heath Ledger was cast as the Joker, I couldn't believe my ears. Nolan's statement was because Ledger was fearless. I assume that he meant that in terms of Ledger's approach. He was right. All I will say is that Ledger's already famous disappearing pencil scene is as fast as it is spectacular. In the theater earlier, when Ledger slammed the guy's head into the table, all I heard in the audience was "Whoa"s and "Damn"s. You have to see the scene to believe it. How they choreographed and executed the scene was phenomenal and most of the credit goes to Ledger for his timing and execution. Another scene that will stick with me forever is between the Joker and Harvey after Dent's been burned. I never would have expected this setup and Nicholson would never have been able to pull this off even with a crooked smile(no offense, Jack). I'll let you see it for yourself. Unlike Nicholson portraying the Joker and still seeing Jack in the role, Heath Ledger WAS the Joker, completely disappearing behind the makeup, giving us a Joker I never thought possible on screen. Psychopathic, sadistic, and brutal in every one of his scenes. I was left wondering what he would say and do next with child-like anticipation. See it for yourself. If there is a petition to get Heath Ledger nominated for Best Supporting Actor based on his performance, I am signing. He is the Joker I will always remember, May he rest in peace.
Aaron Eckhart as Harvey/Two-Face. Absolutely excellent. He mastered Dent and Two-Face in one try. And the actual facial burn did not happen the way I thought it would have. Only seconds before it happened did I realize what was going to happen and it was visually striking once it occurred. I'd love to know how they did the Two-Face makeup because it was visual perfection.
Everything else fell into place perfectly and the only hole is that Ledger's screen time could have been a hair longer, but when he is on screen, he does, in fact, own the movie. He is the best cinematic Joker in all Dark Knight history. Jack Nicholson and Caesar Romero can't touch him. Bale is the best Batman I have ever seen in thirty years and Chris Nolan is the genius that made it all happen. God bless you all for giving the Dark Knight the big-screen justice he truly deserves.