Not bad ;)

Rating: 8/10 (22 November 2011)

What can I say about The Dark Knight?
Star #1 goes to Christian Bale for his appearance as Batman. Everything I ever thought of when I thought of Batman, Christian Bale brings to the table. He's cunning, a brilliant fighter, compassionate, yet conflicted, dark, lonely, and self righteous. While his almost beast-like voice grew a little tiresome, I felt like it fit nonetheless. I could go on forever about Christian Bale. He's the reason I went to see it in the first place (and by that I mean his hotness). But we're moving on . . .
Star #2 goes to Aaron Eckhart as Harvey Dent. Eckhart completely surpassed my expectations for him. His portrayal was subtle but it was all we needed. We're shown immediately in the trailer that Dent is technically 'the hero' yet he just as messed up as everyone else in this film. His transformation during the film is quite believable and we all know that character transformations can go very wrong(anyone remember Spiderman Three?) I give Eckhart a mental high five for bringing depth to the cardboard comic book character.
Stars #3 and 4 go to Christopher and Jonathan Nolan. I don't think I even need to go on. The cinematography was fabulous. The dialog was incredible. The characters were deep and the actors didn't even have to do much work. Despite amazing performances from the whole cast, they would be nowhere in this film without the Nolans. I can't wait to see what they do next.
Star #5 goes to Morgan Freeman. We've known he's a man for some time now but he emphasizes that fact in this film. No, he's not in it much but when he is, he steals the scene. Even Lucius Fox is complicated and almost dark in this film. After all, he is a liar and an accomplice to Batman's law breaking in the name of justice. I applaud him for so subtly bringing so much to the table.
Star #6 goes to Michael Cain who has been Alfred well, forever. He was endearing and brought some much needed comic relief and lightness to this film. Cain was simply adorable and you could almost see the tight bond between him and Bruce Wayne. In other words, he simply made me smile.
Star #7 goes to Gary Oldman as Detective Gordon. I didn't expect what he delivered. He too is conflicted about lying to his entire department about Batman, especially Harvey Dent. His friendship with Batman is so screwy, its borderline Holmes/Watson. Although . . . I'm not sure who would be who. Oldman's character is warm, gentle, and caring yet weary, exasperated, and troubled. I give him a mental high five as well for reminding us that most police officers are good people.
Star #8 goes to the idea that the Nolans put out. They challenged all ideas of civilized society today without offending most anyone. The theme of the Dark Knight reminds us that once you remove society's rules, we are all just trying to survive and we will do anything to stay alive. You all know what scene I'm referring to and if you haven't seen it, you will know what scene I'm referring to. I left the theater and immediately wanted to watch it again because I knew I missed a lot.
And Star #9 goes to the great late Heath Ledger for his beautiful interpretation as the Joker. I'm not just saying he was amazing because he's dead. He reminded me of why people are afraid of clowns and he does it with a permanent sadistic smile. He challenges Batman and pushes him far past his limits while cynically proclaiming that they are exactly the same. Ledger caused me to wonder if everyone would be like the Joker once society's rules were gone. He also conflicted me throughout the whole film. Was I the only one who had to keep reminding themselves that Batman is the good guy? The reason I did not give it a ten is because yes, it was a very long movie and I think it could have been cut down. I also don't understand the purpose of Maggie Gyllenhaal. Who is Rachael? We don't know and I never cared to find out.
I also never give anything a ten because nothing and no one is perfect but this film is pretty close . . .