Enthralling and ambitious on both a narrative and directorial scope, The Dark Knight is a stunning spectacle that transcends the comic book genre

Rating: 10/10 (20 July 2017)

The Dark Knight marks not just a stunning follow-up to the successful Batman Begins, it is a landmark achievement on the comic book genre as a whole. Visionary filmmaker Christopher Nolan returns to the director's chair with an astounding continuation of the Batman Saga, a story that raises the stakes on the titular cape crusader in more ways than one. In an age when Hollywood has occasionally struggled to adapting superheroes on screen to their faithful roots, the iconic bat hero has never seen an outing for faithful than this one. Raising themes on moral complexity and psychological corruption, this groundbreaking sequel pits Batman in a battle against a threat that is not only more powerful, but much more personal than we have seen in the cinematic realm. And that threat is the iconic clown Joker who is blessed a shocking portrayal by Heath Ledger who was unfortunately unable to see the final results after his death of a drug overdose in January 2008. Set after the events of the first film, this movie follows Bruce Wayne (played by Christian Bale) is set to settle down after eliminating the threat of Gotham that was Scarecrow. Jim Gordon (played by Gary Oldman) is back as a police lieutenant and Harvey Dent (played by Aaron Eckhart) is running as Gotham's district attorney, trying to formulate a plan to ride the city of crime. When a sinister clown only known as the Joker (played by Heath Ledger) arises from the mysterious criminal underworld and begins to wreck havoc on Gotham on a grand scale, Bruce must suit up as Batman and cross the line between hero and vigilante to bring down what maybe the Gotham's greatest threat yet. As the chaos grows deeper, Batman find himself questioning his morals every step of the way.
Christopher Nolan holds no bars when placing the iconic hero on the tension plate. This film is much darker and more poignant than what many fans of the popular source material have experienced in the past. Written by Nolan and his younger brother Jonathan Nolan and David S. Goyer, the story here approaches the cape crusader with complex themes including testing one's morality and battling against inner demons that threaten to destroy you in the process of making sacrifices. The new threat among Gotham is The Joker who is granted with a more sinister portrayal than what we have seen previously in the celluloid. The monstrous clown explodes on screen with an expertise of robbing banks, blowing up building including hospitals into smithereens, and launching a mass rebellion that places the law enforcement in grave danger. And sadly more Gotham, that is just the beginning. His terrifying wave of chaos not only puts Batman's loved ones in danger, but places him in under psychological torture that leaves him questioning if he is even a real hero or not. The question lies within the citizens and law enforcement of Gotham as well, particularly Harvey Dent who sermonizes "You either die a hero or you live long enough to see yourself become a villain." The suspense is high, the atmosphere strikes directly at the heart, and the action, particularly the truck chase sequence, makes for some sweet visual candy; thanks in part to Wally Pfister who captures the action diligently. And you can always count on Hans Zimmer to endorse the grim atmosphere with an arresting score. Congratulations to you Zimmer!
Christian Bale blessed us with a beautiful portrayal of Batman/Bruce Wayne in the predecessor, and now he has returned and is good as ever. Replacing Katie Holmes in the well-acted, but shoddily written role of Rachel Dawes is Maggie Gyllenhaal. The actress excels in a role that is suitably expand upon her previous outing, allowing her with more to work with than what Holmes is given. Her character is nicely explored in a subplot involving a love triangle between Bruce Wayne and Harvey Dent that plays out well rather than hammy. Aaron Eckhart eclipses the role of Harvey Dent, Gotham's district attorney who sees on a dark soul inside Batman and questions his role as a hero. When Batman is force to make an unsettling sacrifice, Dent's lines between good and evil to grow muddy. The actor proves he is know how to strike at the heart in his performance which transcends during a gut-wrenching climax at the end. Gary Oldman and Michael Caine are good as Jim Gordon and Alfred respectively. Morgan Freeman is well, but nothing much to speak of. Without the the shiniest gem in the crowd is, of course, Heath Ledger igniting the role as The Joker. Injecting abundance of ferocity and grit into the darkened iconic villain, Ledger breaths incredible life into the villainous role, one that allows him to expand upon his acting range at shocking proportions. With the nefarious clown burning with insanity and injecting just a small dose of dark humor, if you find yourself giggling just a little bit, chances are it is an uncomfortable giggle. His spellbinding portrayal of The Joker operates the driving force of the film. It is such a shame that Ledger lost his life before being able to see the astonishing gold we left on in his performance.
The Dark Knight is an enthralling, complex, and brutally ambitious rendition of the iconic DC hero that not only boasts the talent of both Christopher Nolan and the cast, but marks an exhilarating game changer on the comic book genre. It transcends the genre in an awarding fashion that results in what could easily be the greatest superhero flick ever to hit theaters. It is not just an exciting experience, it is a powerful one that feels quite personal.