Top-notch Tension

Rating: 9/10 (4 August 2008)

It's rare for a film to invoke in me such strong feelings of tension and nerves, so on that count the Dark Knight was on to a winner straight away. There are numerous moments of 'what's going to happen next?!?!' as the surprises and twists keep on coming. Heath Ledger as the Joker is both funny and downright creepy, an insanely malevolent intelligence probing at society's weaknesses and challenging people's perceptions of who is good and who is bad. In many ways, Heath steals the show and it's not hard to see why people are touting his name as a possible Oscar winner, but I hope people also think of Aaron Eckhart's performance, a tragically heroic one in many respects. Christian Bale does a reasonable job as Batman, but he's overshadowed by more powerful performances from the two aforementioned actors, and also by Gary Oldman, who excels as Gordon. I loved this film- it was action and tension all the way.