Contemporary cinema gets its Citizen Kane

Rating: 10/10 (25 July 2008)

Well, what can be said about this film? Is it flawless? No. Is it perfect? No. Is it quite possibly one of the best films ever made? Definitely.
With cinematography that matches Citizen Kane, performances that can compete with The Godfather, Heat and Goodfellas, scale that rivals Lord of the Rings and a storyline to overshadow Fight Club or The Matrix, The Dark Knight is surely a classic that will be enjoyed and studied for years to come.
The acting is powerful, assured and worthy of all the awards in the business. The supporting cast, namely Michael Caine, Aaron Eckhart, Maggie Gylenhall and Gary Oldman are phenomenal and play their respective characters with the poise and dignity that comes from true professionalism. The two leads, Bale and Ledger play off of each other perfectly and create two powerful characters that are so exuberant and vivid that they will remain as icons of cinema.
The set design team deserve just as much credit as the director, screenwriter or cast. Gotham city actually feels like a real city and not a film set. This grounded the film in the realism the Christopher & Jonathan Nolan along with David S. Goyer strived for in their Batman films.
Hopefully more film buffs will wake up and smell the coffee and realise that Hollywood can produce great works of art and hopefully, the Hollywood big dogs will realise the same.