Chris Nolan does it again.

Rating: 9/10 (29 July 2012)

You know when you walk into a Chris Nolan film, you're going to be impressed and boy, he did not disappoint with this finale to the Batman trilogy.
Having had such huge success with The Dark Knight, Nolan and his crew had their work cut out making something equally as epic, as thrilling and they did just that with this film.
From the outset, Nolan stamped his trademarks all over this picture including the stunning "huge sound to silence" moments that sent audible shivers around the audience. These, complimented by a typically fantastic cast, made for a thoroughly enjoyable experience.
Bale returned as the masked vigilante and once again showed his versatility as an actor in this film, portraying Batman's first physical struggle against Bane, played beautifully by Tom Hardy. It was a treat to see Batman come from a weak, frail form and struggle to build his strength and mind to match such a fearsome adversary.
Back to Tom Hardy. Bane, I believe, was portrayed in just the right way: physically imposing and threatening yet there was a deeper side to him; complimented by Hardy's strong, British accent but offset with the distortion of his gas mask.
Excellent performances from pretty much every other member of the cast, most notably Michael Caine as Alfred who had some wonderfully moving lines of dialogue both at the beginning and towards the end of the film. Morgan Freeman once again played Lucius Fox as the wise, humble scientist that we've known the entire trilogy and Anne Hathaway gave Catwoman a definite, feisty edge that I knew all the men enjoyed.
Rating this film 9/10. It would have been a 10 but I've heard Nolan isn't planning another. I appreciate that filmmakers like to leave a story where it is best rounded but I think that the way in which Nolan brought the trilogy to a close left a lot of possibilities, unanswered questions and mystery, as such is another of his trademarks.