More than a movie...it was an experience.

Rating: 10/10 (23 September 2008)

This film was more like an experience than a movie. Leaving the theater, I felt as though I had just witnessed an event. It left me drained the way Indiana Jones did but emotionally as well as physically.
I have read IMDb reviews by people who hated this movie, and I'll admit there are a couple of things I was confused about. First of all, I never understood why the Joker maintains he has no financial motive, yet asks the gangsters for half of their money as his cutperhaps that was just another one of his mind tricks. And I completely disagree with people who think Christian Bale is the best Batman ever. He sounded more like a superhero with a sinus infection through the whole movie. Bale was upstaged by everyone, not the least of which being Heath as a completely believable and compelling psychopath. What a performance! I don't much respect actors and acting rarely impresses me, but wow! If you don't believe that his performance was one of the greatest you've ever seen, watch the first 7 minutes of the film closely (the bank robbery scene). Now tell me this: if all the bank robbers are wearing masks, how come we know which one the Joker is? It's because we got a sense of it through the body language, the mannerisms, the way he walked and the way his head was slumped low to the shoulders. That was all acting. That was all Heath.
Kudos to the pencil trick as wellthe whole theater jumped back in sync. Watching 500 silhouettes lean back in their seat simultaneously was a timeless moment for me.