Ledger Gives a Legendary Performance in a Great Film

Rating: 9/10 (15 February 2014)

Not being fan of comic books or movies adapted from comic books, I remember going to the theater with my friends thinking I wouldn't care for The Dark Knight, after it ended, I'll admit it wasn't bad, but it wasn't great like everyone was saying it was. Then after some time passed, I watched it again, and I was blown away.
Heath Ledger, who in most cases is THE reason the film became so loved, gave us an academy award winning performance that was undoubtedly the best of his tragically cut short career as Batman's nemesis, The Joker. In fact, Ledger actually locked himself in his hotel room for a month and kept a journal during filming to become engulfed with the character, and for most of the film it doesn't look like he is even acting, he IS The Joker. It was the best portrayal of a villain in a film since Sir Anthony Hopkins' legendary role of Hannibal Lecter in The Silence of the Lambs, and I personally believe Ledger's Joker is second only to Hopkins' Lecter in terms of being scary, creepy, but also very interesting at the same time.
As great as Ledger is the film, there actually are some other great performances. Gary Oldman is more than respectable as Gordon, Aaron Eckart as Harvey Dent is, to me, the second best role in the film, and Christian Bale does not disappoint as Bruce Wayne/Batman.
Technically, the film is also very well done. An academy award victory in sound editing and nominations in cinematography, art direction, film editing, and visual effects prove that film passes all aspects of the eye test with flying colors.
The Dark Knight is one of the best films since 2000, in my opinion. The #4 spot on the IMDb top 250 also doesn't hurt. It is a must-watch for not just Batman fans, but any fan of great films.