The Dark Knight delivers!

Rating: 10/10 (21 July 2008)

This film is one of the greatest cinematic experiences I have ever had. Batman Begins revived the Bat Francise and The Dark Knight keeps it going.
Everyone in this film is great and the crew did an excellent job in bringing the further adventures of the Caped Crusader to life.
Christian Bale is the best Batman yet, he pulls off both roles as well as Christopher Reeve did for Superman. The duality of the character is brought out in a way that makes you believe and care about the hero. Batman will do whatever it takes to win the day, short of taking a life which makes him that much more interesting to the Joker and their "relationship".
Heath Ledger, R.I.P., is the best Incarnation of the Joker I have ever seen. He's not some deranged clown he is a psychotic maniac who enjoys bringing down the social order and enjoys every minute of it, as revealed in his love for knives and uses of them on his victims. He also enjoys the challenge placed in front of him in the form of Batman who he now realizes he enjoys "playing" with and the task of corrupting the Dark Knight is now one of his passions.
Aaron Eckhart was brilliant as Harvey Dent, you could see the little bits of his dark side coming out throughout the movie despite his White Knight image. Once the physical change of his "two-face"s comes into play and he sees what the Joker and the so called justice system he stood for did to him then his turn is complete. Truly a tragic character.
Maggie Gyllenhaal is great as Rachel Dawes. I thought she brought so much more depth of character to Rachel than Katie Holmes and seemed much more believable. You could tell that she was torn between the 2 loves in her life, Harvey and Bruce, and the torture that comes with that. Even though she is a strong character and portrays that with such grace and physicality, especially with her confrontation with the Joker.
Gary Oldman, best Jim Gordon ever...bar none. He brings to life this honest cop with great integrity and completely looks like the character from the comic books. He is torn between his honest by the book character and his relationship with the often above the law Batman. Their relationship is one of trust and great respect for each other and Gordon knows that he can rely on Batman no matter what.
Alfred, Michael Caine, is a great confidant for Bruce. You can tell he loves him like a son, and although sometimes thinks Bruce might be pushing himself to hard Alfred knows the sacrifice that is made and believes in the Batman's cause.
Morgan Freeman is awesome anyway but his portrayal of Lucius Fox is on the money. He is a great asset to the war on crime in Gotham with his ability to come up with and provide the tech Bruce needs, so long as it is not used carelessly. Lucius understands the need to fight the evil in Gotham so long as that power stays in check.
This is much more than a Superhero movie, in fact it really doesn't feel like one. It's treated as reality, a bit far fetched, but real which makes it work. They make you believe these situations can happen and bring you into the story with great action, suspense, and respect for the world of Gotham City. There's no campy fight scenes or dialog. In fact other than the characters of Batman, Joker and Two-Face I wouldn't even classify this as a superhero/comic book movie. If you enjoyed Batman Begins, get ready for the thrill packed adventure of The Dark Knight.