Very vital, arresting and award-worthy

Rating: 9/10 (24 July 2008)

This is a very serious movie. The audience forgets that story is based on classic comic book characters, DC Comics at that. I felt the same vibe as when I saw "The Departed" before. This is a classic gangster movie at its very core.
The director Christopher Nolan was obviously aiming for so much more than the run of the mill hero flick. The epic length of this latest Batman film is proof of his lofty ambitions. The main actors felt that passion, and all gave inspired performances.
Overall, this is so far the most accomplished film is wide release this year. The exciting and violent action begin right off with a bold bank heist to assassinations until the final face-off between Batman and his arch-enemy. (Those scenes on the Bat-Cycle were all so adrenalized and extreme!) The script, the camera-work, the editing and the music all fell in to the right synch to create an action masterpiece destined to be a classic in its genre.
Compared with the previous "Batman Begins", Christian Bale gave way to his co-stars in this one. The acting of Gary Oldman (as Commissioner Gordon) Aaron Eckhart (as Harvey Dent) and the late Heath Ledger (as The Joker) are all very vital, arresting and award-worthy. Morgan Freeman and Michael Caine attack their respective roles with their usual efficiency.
Of course, The Joker IS the more eye-catching role. Heath plays him as a seriously demented psychopathic sociopath, as The Joker had never been portrayed before. He exudes menace and dread every time he is on screen. The creepy smudged make up completes a most unforgettably evil movie villain, much like Anton Chigurh (from "No Country For Old Men") the year before.
PS: Minor squibble: They could have done better in the casting of Rachel Dawes. The last time, Katie Holmes was a certainly prettier but rather frivolous choice. Maggie Gyllenhall in this one I felt was miscast. A better actress for sure, but the look did not fit for me.