'If you're good at something, never do it for free'

Rating: 9/10 (29 December 2010)

'The Dark Knight' is a dazzling epic filled with excellent performances and incredible action sequences. It is a triumph on pretty much every front and, while perhaps it does not quite reach the dizzy heights of director Christopher Nolan's more recent 'Inception', it still packs a mighty punch.
Christian Bale reprises his role of billionaire industrialist Bruce Wayne whose alter-ego, the superhero Batman, is the 'dark knight' of the film's title. Bale really captures the torment of Wayne; he is still clearly haunted by the cold and heartless murder of his parents all those years ago. And it is a real treat to see Eric Roberts as a slimy crime boss named Salvatore Maroni. But the real scene stealer here is the late Heath Ledger as The Joker. Ledger plays him as an unpredictable and dangerous psychopath and never overdoes it or chews the scenery for a second. The other actors - as good as they are - do not stand a chance when Ledger is on screen; he steals every scene that he is in.
The film features a spectacular car chase in which an eighteen-wheel rig is flipped right over lengthwise, and Nolan has assembled a dream cast which includes Maggie Gyllenhaal as Bruce's love interest Rachel Dawes, and Aaron Eckhart as Harvey Dent. This reboot of the 'Batman' franchise which began with 'Batman Begins', also directed by Nolan, is a resounding success. There is darkness but there is also light, as the result of the ferry standoff in the film's third act demonstrates. 'The Dark Knight' is a brilliant and well-constructed film which just keeps on getting it right.