Dark Knight Swallows It's Competition

Rating: 10/10 (5 October 2019)

Arguably the greatest comic book genre film ever made. Christopher Nolan's vision of the Batman/ Joker deathgrip goes back in tone to the two character's first tangle in the pages of Batman no.1 in 1940. Murderous with very little mirth or wisecracking banter Heath Ledger's portrayal of the clown prince of crime is a chilling thing to behold. He brings an uncoiled madness and seriousness to the role that was missing in the more jovial and stylized Jack Nicholson version.
The drawback is that his Joker sucks all the energy out of the room so whenever he's not around or the focal point you're waiting for him to pop up again. Christian Bale's Batman is certainly intense, sometimes comically so while token and unnecessary villain Two Face fades into the background sharing the same space as Ledger's visceral Joker.
That being said the atmospheric grittiness and epic delving into the complex relationship of the two headed snake of hero/ villain is explored to near perfection. It's themes of order and chaos are put forth with thought and expert storytelling. No other superhero movie until that time had tackled its characters so brilliantly.