Curtain Closes On The Joker - One We Will Never Forget

Rating: 9/10 (26 July 2008)

You know the score. This film was destined to be #1 on IMDb. This film is destined to be one of the highest grossing films in years. This film is destined to be one of the "best films" ever.
Why? Well - you know why. *wink wink nudge nudge*. The Dark Knight is without a doubt the best film I've seen this year, and in fact, a long time. Giving this work of art 10 stars would leave a bitter taste in my mouth, because I know it does have some flaws, but its a solid solid solid film. What I can say is this, is that its without a doubt, the best Batman movie that has ever been made. And thats pretty damn good in my books. Batman Begins was pretty awesome - but this film, it takes Batman Begins by the neck, pulls and tugs at it and dangles it like childs play. Simply put, The Dark Knight will go down as one of the best comic book conversions this millennium. The balance between humour, action and drama is spot on - and that makes such a pleasant change.
Christopher Nolan has gone down the route of his trustworthy Bale & Caine team that he has used in his last 2 films (Batman Begins & The Prestige - both by the way, awesome films) and they still do not disappoint. Bale is the perfect Bruce Wayne, funny, diplomatic and arrogant, it was if he was born to play that role - whilst Caine, plays the intelligent yet lovable butler and close friend of Bruce, Alfred. Morgan Freeman also turns in a delightful performance as Fox, partner of Bruce in "Wayne Enterprises" - whilst also providing Bruce with equipment and suits for Batman.
Harvey Dent aka Two-Face - is probably the weakness of this film, almost Spiderman 3 in many respects, bringing in new characters towards the end segments spoils the party, but it was a decent performance from Aaron Eckhart - don't get me wrong! I felt as if his character didn't have enough depth to it - and wasn't given enough time to develop his anger and mental image that Two-Face develops in the comics.
Gary Oldman as James Gordon is also a sure fire hit. He completely knocks his Batman Begins appearance for 10, and gives us vintage Oldman.
The star of the show - as you may have guessed it, was The Joker. Heath Ledger in his best role to date - and unfortunately, his last. Heath's portrayal of The Joker is dark, clever, disturbing and mischievous. The Joker appears within the first 5 minutes of the film, and you already begin to sense how it will pan out. Twists & turns all the way through. The more of The Joker you witness, you begin to realise what an interesting character he is, and how he makes Batman realise that he is just the same as him. A renagade, a vigilante, a nobody. The body language and charisma from Heath Ledger is spot on. Jack Nicholson is well within his rights to tip his hat off to Ledger, as he has done a fantastic job. Every scene with The Joker shows different sides of how fascinating an actor Ledger really was; from the delightful intro, to the "magic trick", the prison sequence, right through to the lorry chasing and the climax. Oscar worthy? Why not, there hasn't been a villain THIS beautifully crafted since Anthony Hopkins played Hannibal.
All in all - this isn't a one trick pony - its a fantastic film in its own right. Plot twists, surprises, fantastic pace, perfect balance of drama and action. Why 9 stars? I felt it could of been darker and aimed more towards the adult fans. I felt it could have been bloodier and I felt that the Two-Face character was somewhat premature and the final Joker scene felt unfinished in some respects. I honestly think giving this #1 on our list is somewhat tedious, but it does hold its own spot in cinema history as being one of THE best comic book adaptations I've seen in a very long time. So when you put that into context, thats damn good. Heath Ledger has stamped his mark on the genre, and raised the bar so high now, you just hope that if there is a next installment, that the next villain will be able to step up to the palette. R.I.P Heath.