A Masterclass in plotting and character growth

Rating: 9/10 (14 October 2017)

There are some things which always stun me on every rewatch of this masterclass : the plot complexity, the themes, and the unique philosophies of almost every major character which compels them to battle against each other, which in turn changes and transforms these characters as they struggle to pick up the pieces of their pride from the resulting chaos. To have some amazingly choreographed and really long and complex action sequences, and most importantly to have them not just for the sake of action and spectacle (not that this would be a bad thing), but use them to fuel character growth and show a clash of philosophies, a clash of egos is an amazing achievement.
This is one of those movies (Nolan's The Prestige is another example) where the underlying script is just so strong that other things such as the performance of the actors, the cinematography, the music, etc. do not really matter much. I do believe that Heath Ledger gave a really good performance as the Joker, but I also believe that the character itself was written in such a brilliant way that any competent actor would have done it justice. A mild criticism of the plot is the numerous coincidences and the hellishly complex schemes of the various characters being executed perfectly on every occasion, but the Joker remarks in the movie that he has no plan and he wildly improvises according to the situation. The Batman and the Joker almost perfectly anticipate each other's moves on every occasion, and this leads to a deadly and complex dance between the two which is mesmerizing to watch.
I will just say that this is pretty much the absolute pinnacle of super-hero movies, and I am pretty sure that we will never get another super-hero movie anywhere near as good as this one (especially considering the formulaic and childishly plotted super-hero movies being made nowadays).