The term 'masterpiece' isn't good enough for this film...

Rating: 10/10 (26 July 2008)

I myself have always been a fan of Batman-I saw the first film in theaters with my parents when I was three (which may have been too young and DEFINITELY is for The Dark Knight), and I was hooked ever since. With this mindset I automatically assumed my biased opinion of the character would take control of my real thoughts on The Dark Knight film. Well. It definitely didn't hurt, but I think I would have loved this movie even if I had never heard of Batman going in. So far I've seen it five times and am going for a sixth tomorrow--in fact I can already say it is my favorite film--I don't even want to think about the movie that actually holds a candle to The Dark Knight, because I don't think anything as flawless as this film is going to come along for a long time.
A few movies I would compare it to would be the first two Godfathers, Heat (Chris Nolan even has a reference to Heat i.e. William Fictner makes an appearance), and possibly--as far as the crime is concerned as well as the ceaseless care taken with the script. Chris and his brother Jonathon pay the utmost attention to detail--so much so that I have yet to see the movie and not notice something new each time. Everything from the soundtrack to the cinematography--the costumes and wardrobes to the set designs were as close to flawless as I have seen. That being said, I know roughly ten or fifteen people who are NOT Batman fans--and a few of which who do not even generally like this type of film say they LOVED it...and justifiably so as it is SO much more than just a Batman movie, or just a comic movie, for that matter.
As for the acting...well it's all been said before, but even so I have no choice but to say it as well: the acting was superb. Heath Ledger has already received about as much--if not more praise for his portrayal of The Joker, as Javier Bardiem did for No Country For Old Men. In my mind, there is no performance that will even come close in terms of focus, commitment, and overall presence. I pity the actors who go up against Mr. Ledger WHEN he receives an Oscar nomination.
Christian Bale, Gary Oldman, Michael Caine, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Morgan Freeman...all of these performers brought so much depth to the film and made it into one of the best ensemble casts I've seen since Pulp Fiction. Each of said mentioned names fell right back into character and delivered remarkable performances, save for Maggie Gyllenhaal who is a newcomer to Nolan's Batman series. She did something that surprised me: she took her role of Rachel Dawes in a completely different direction than Katie Holmes. While most people bash Katie for her portray of Rachel Dawes, I didn't have a problem with it. Sure, I would say it was the weakest link in Begins, but it still did not bother me. Maggie Gyllenhaal on the other hand pulled off a very difficult feat. She managed to remain the tough, independent, assistant D.A. that the role called for with absolutely no compromise while simultaneously pulling off something her predecessor did not: she had very good chemistry with Christian Bale. In addition to that, she also had great chemistry with Aaron Eckhart.
To conclude, the movie is a 'masterpiece,' but even that word doesn't seem to do enough justice to what Christopher Nolan accomplished which is the most ambitious film I've seen in a very long time. My only regret is that we can never see Heath Ledger reprise what was hands down his finest performance. It remains ironic to me that his finest performance was synonymous with his darkest hour. His death was untimely, unfair, and in my firm belief nothing more than a stupid mistake with the worst kind of consequence. My condolences go out to his beautiful little girl. Hopefully, when she's older, she'll watch this movie and appreciate what her father had to go through in order to become what he did on screen. With a little luck, she may learn what he gave to become The Joker--a role that will NEVER be topped and never be forgotten...and a role that I am forever grateful Heath Ledeger chose to accept. I also hope one day Matilda Ledger will see the staggering amount of people who watched her father play a character (and loved his performance as much as I did) that could easily have turned into an imitation of Mr. Nicholson's own performance--and understand that he put everything he had into it. I hope she will understand what that kind of passion took to energetically, and consistently portray his character, and what the cost was.
Heath Ledger, took the Joker and instead, of imitating and merely updating the role, he took it in a completely new direction (aided with Chris Nolan's screenplay) and created the most masterful performance I have ever seen--one that I doubt will ever be topped (at least in my eyes), by anyone. Thank you for sharing your passion with the rest of world, Heath. You will be missed, but never forgotten.
--Jason