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The Dark Knight

Movie details

Christian Bale once again embodies the man behind the mask in "The Dark Knight." The film reunites Bale with director Christopher Nolan and takes Batman across the world in his quest to fight a growing criminal threat. With the help of Lieutenant Jim Gordon and District Attorney Harvey Dent, Batman has been making headway against local crime...until a rising criminal mastermind known as The Joker unleashes a fresh reign of chaos across Gotham City.

Director Christopher Nolan

Stars Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Michael Caine, Gary Oldman, Aaron Eckhart

Frequent action violence

Our review

All the great things you've heard about Heath Ledger's performance in "The Dark Knight" are true: as Batman's nemesis the Joker he is mesmerising, terrifying and commands almost every scene he's in.

It's a testament to the dearly departed Ledger's talent that despite the Joker's slippery make-up, purple suit and wild green hair, he is much more than a standard comic-book villain: he's a twisted, genuinely frightening anarchist with no agenda other than to raise havoc.

Be warned that you can't go into "The Dark Knight" and simply zone out: this is a dense film which demands that its audience pays close attention to its ambitious and intricate plot.

Since we last saw him in "Batman Begins", the Caped Crusader (Christian Bale) has made progress in easing the crime that once suffocated Gotham City - though he's still officially classed as a dangerous vigilante by the police.

The true hero of Gotham is handsome district attorney Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart) and his no-holds-barred approach to taking down the mob. He's also dating Bruce Wayne's ex-girlfriend Rachel Dawes (Maggie Gyllenhaal, replacing Katie Holmes), creating an awkward love triangle.

But Batman and Dent must work together when a new breed of villain emerges: the psychotic and charismatic Joker. He wants to see the citizens of Gotham City tear themselves apart, and has constructed a fiendish scheme to reach his goal.

At times "The Dark Knight" and its myriad characters and plot threads are difficult to follow, but those who concentrate are richly rewarded with a story that is both epic and intense - at times almost unbearably so.

While Ledger's memorable, lip-smacking portrayal of the Joker will probably be the film's legacy, there are stellar performances from the whole cast: Bale has gravelly-voiced gravitas as Batman/Bruce Wayne, Gyllenhaal's Rachel is much stronger Holmes's flimsy portrayal, while Eckhart's grisly, tragic transformation into the villainous Two Face comes close to stealing the show.

Returning players Alfred (Michael Caine), Lucius Fox (Morgan Freeman) and Lietenant Gordon (Gary Oldman) put in solid performances even though they don't have as much to do here as they did in "Batman Begins".

Director Christopher Nolan, who co-wrote the remarkable screenplay with his brother Jonathan, has masterfully turned the superhero genre on its head once again. Now to start the countdown to Batman 3...

9/10

Samuel Downing