Film of the year, Ledger gives the performance of his career.

Rating: 8/10 (2 January 2009)

After the Batman franchise was almost killed forever in Joel Schumachers 'Batman & Robin' in 1997, people feared it was the end. The film contained everything nobody wanted in a Batman film. It had Robin, Mr. Freeze, Poison Ivy and Batgirl. Oh and the Batman suit had nipples. It was like a sesame street version of the film in which everybody was just thrown in whether or not you liked them. Luckily in 2005 we got Batman Begins, a new era for the masked hero. It returned under completely new management. Given the task of re-inventing the series was Christopher Nolan, writer/director of Memento and The Prestige. This man cast Christian Bale. Together they made one of the years best films and now they return for a sequel. darker and more exhilarating and thrilling than all that had come before. These men made people love batman again. Despite using relatively unknown villains they made a great hero film with a great 'becoming Batman story', a twist and the right amount of action. Then came The Dark Knight. In it Batman is preparing to give up his job as hero of Gotham City and be with Rachel. He believes new district attorney Harvey Dent, Gotham's White Knight can finally clean up the streets and put the crime bosses behind bars. Then The Joker arrives. He comes in with a bang by robbing the crime bosses money from a bank and then tries to get more off them for killing Batman. He then kills one of the crime bosses as his real reign of terror begins. He starts targeting and killing everyone and everything, including police stations, hospitals, Batman impersonators, crime bosses, civilians, criminals, lawyers and even Rachel. It seems no one is safe from his rampage until Batman comes forward. Batman tries to stop him but finds it difficult due to his vow to never kill. As The Joker gains more followers and continues to eliminate more and more important government figures he tries to show Gotham that inside they are just like him and in the end he does create another villain, driven by anger and a desperate need for revenge. The battle between good and evil continues and it is like when an unstoppable force hits an unmovable object. The Joker just wants to see the world crumble and fall around him, bringing terror and violence to the city whereas Batman just wants to clean up he city so that he can move on with his life. The Dark Knight has already become known as one of the greatest films ever made (Voted 4h best on IMDb).If you ask anyone on the street what the best film of the year was and chances are they would very quickly say that it was this. It has everything that makes a good film, stunning effects, mesmerising performances, brilliant direction, a thrilling story, plot twists, action, drama, tension, chilling scenes, a fight between good and evil and a meaning to it all. I had feared that with the astronomical amount of publicity that I would be extremely disappointed but it wasn't so. Heath Ledger was by far the best thing about the film. He gave a truly phenomenal display, which has already got him a Golden Globe nomination and which will hopefully get him an Oscar. He made the role of The Joker his own and I feel sorry for anyone who will play the character again at any time in the future. He was terrifying yet chillingly humorous and it is without a doubt the best performance I have ever seen anyone give. Christian Bale returns as our favorite hero. He continues to show why he was the perfect choice for the role as he perfectly portrays the changes in his character from the arrogant and cocky Bruce Wayne to the brave and determined Batman. His voice while in the suit can get a bit annoying but it doesn't really take away form his display. There was doubt surrounding the recasting of Rachel as Stranger Then Fiction star Maggie Gyllenhaal took over from Katie Holmes who apparently 'did a great job in Batman Begins'. She was actually very bad in Batman Begins, I thought and after 5 minutes I was convinced that Maggie was a much better choice for love interest Rachel. Aaron Eckhart also gives a brilliant performance, one which is quite similar to the one he has in Thank You For Smoking. He plays Harvey Dent and both Ackhart and his character are fantastic additions to the film. Morgan Freeman returns as Lucius Fox, who has become a much more important member of Wayne Enterprises. He acts as Batman's assistant I guess and he continues to show that he really cannot give a bad performance. Gary Oldman is back as James Gordon, soon to be commissioner Gordon and he also gives a great performance, as does Michael Caine, who also features again as loyal butler and adviser Alfred. Every member of the cast give great performances and each one adds something to the film and makes that little bit more impressive. I was a bit disappointed that The Scarecrow only features in this for about 5 minutes as I hoped he would bring us into the world of Arkham Asylum but I forgot all about this with the arrival of The Joker and Two/Face. This is a masterpiece, quite simply and it's exactly what this year needed. Christopher Nolan has done an amazing job behind the camera and he makes this installment of Batman stand out from the rest by miles. it's darker, more thrilling and full of plot twists,a great ending, surprises, tragedy and of course non stop heart-pounding action. I look forward to the future films from this franchise as with this team they are sure to be just as brilliant and memorable as this was.