One Of The Greatest Superhero/Comic Book Films And Sequels Ever Made. A True Classic From Christopher Nolan.

Rating: 10/10 (1 May 2013)

The Dark Knight is an absolute classic and is not only one of the best Superhero/Comic Book films ever made but also one of the best Sequels ever made. Filled with Powerful direction,Brilliant Acting performances and excellent Action,The Dark Knight is Christopher Nolan at his best and most powerful.
Set after the events in Batman Begins,The Dark Knight now tells the story about how now Batman/Bruce Wayne(Christian Bale)has to not only deal with the Mob,but also has to deal with a psychotic criminal named The Joker(Heath Ledger)who wants the destroy Gotham City and make the innocent corrupt.
The Dark Knight is a powerful and unforgettable Classic that came out month after Heath Ledger's tragic death which cast a shadow over the film and with or without Ledger presence The Dark Knight is still an excellent film. With The Dark Knight Christopher Nolan has created an unforgettable cinematic experience,giving viewers a bigger and larger film than Batman Begins because when you look at Batman Begins as great as it is you feel like Nolan was taking a test drive with a car and trying to know the Batman world,but with The Dark Knight Nolan does not a take a test and knows this world from the ground up. With TDK Nolan gives viewers a true epic scope raising the Superhero genre to another level and makes a complex film filled with tragedy and sadness. TDK while definitely a Superhero/Comic Book film has much more in common with a Crime Drama because of gangsters and the Mob always in the film and the Cops and lawyers that are always trying to stop them and The Joker while also dealing with Money and corruption. You feel like you are watching a Superhero film if it were directed by Martin Scorsese or Michael Mann because like the Crime Dramas of those two films TDK deals with many characters and themes such as the crime,corruption and moral ambiguity. In other words TDK has more in common with Epic Crime Dramas like The Godfather,Goodfellas,Casino,The Departed and Heat than say The Fantastic Four films. Nolan creates a world in TDK where there is a since of doom and dread all around where the city of Gotham is being held hostage and just filled with tension and falling apart and waiting to explode in a shred of darkness. Batman and The Joker in this is a true story of Good and Evil with Batman trying to defend and protect the citizens of Gotham City and trying to bring some good into the city and does not kill,but The Joker is different because The Joker is true evil that just wants to see Gotham City burn and corrupt the innocent people of the city including Batman himself. The Joker believes that people in general are not good and can be brought down to his level of darkness. The film is battle but a complex one because Batman asks himself this question:What can I do at all costs to stop The Joker? Can Batman do it the right way or could Batman kill The Joker and be brought down to The Joker's level? TDK is a chess game and also a Cat and Mouse game where Batman is not only trying to save Gotham but trying to beat The Joker. The screenplay by Christopher Nolan and Jonathan Nolan is superb with dialog and scenes that are something William Shakespere would write because the film is filled with sadness and darkness all over. Although the film is long at 2 Hours and 32 minutes the movie moves by so fast you would think that you were watching a 90 minute film than a two and half hour film. The Action scenes in the film are masterful and are much more intense than in BB. The Action is filled with great suspense and jaw-dropping visuals and will have you glued to the screen. The ending of the film lasts about 20-30 minutes and like I said before this film will have you glued to the screen but also on the edge of your seat leaving you wanting more. It is a great,sad and tragic conclusion that will leave asking questions and prepares viewers for The Dark Knight Rises.
The whole cast does great jobs in their roles. Christian Bale is excellent once again as Batman/Bruce Wayne bringing depth,toughness and sadness to the role. The late Heath Ledger earned a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his brilliant and terrifying performance as The Joker. Ledger's performance is scary,menacing and masterful making Ledger's Joker one of the greatest villains in movie history. Aaron Eckhart is great as Harvey Dent,an idealistic lawyer. Michael Caine is great once again as Alfred,Bruce's Butler. Maggie Gyllenhaal does a good job as Rachel,Bruce and Harvey's love interest. Gary Oldman is fantastic once again as Officer Jim Gordon. Morgan Freeman is great once again as Lucius Fox,Batman's weapon maker. Eric Roberts(Maroni),Anthony Michael Hall(Mike Engel),Richie Coaster(Chechen),Cillian Murphy(Scarecrow)and Nathan Gamble(James Gordan Jr.)give good performances as well.
The direction by Christopher Nolan is masterful and brilliant,with Nolan using great camera angles and giving the film a haunting and beautiful visual style and also does great job in the Action scenes. Great direction from Nolan.
The score by Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard is excellent,dark and intense and matches the gritty and grim tone of the film. Amazing score by Zimmer and Howard.
In final word,if you love Batman,Christopher Nolan,Comic Book films,Superhero films or films in general,I Highly suggest you see The Dark Knight,one of the best sequels ever made and a true classic that you can watch again and again. Highly Recommended. 10/10.