The Dark Knight Review

Batman has earned himself a loyal fan following, but the demise of Heath Ledger who plays the menacing villain in The Dark Knight, has added many more to the audience, and not in vain. The movie is brilliantly made and in many ways, it differs from earlier Batman movies which were typically 'from comics to celluloid'. Here we have a brooding and dark film, with both villain and hero taking on equally magnificent proportions, so that you often wonder if the bad guy will actually meet his just deserts.

The Dark Knight may lack the caped Robin, but in his stead we have two Batman sidekicks - District Attorney Harvey Dent and Police Lt. Jim Gordon. Together, they attempt to rid their city of organized crime in one fell swoop, only to discover that every good deed backfires, putting Gotham City in greater jeopardy. Batman's biggest foe is the Joker. Ironically, there is nothing funny about this sinister villain. With a tangled mane, harsh white makeup, darting mad eyes and an obscene tongue that keeps licking his painted-on smile, he strikes terror not just in his foes, but even in the mobsters who hire him to eliminate Gotham City's caped crusader. It's a stupendously creepy performance and Heath Ledger has outdone himself.

When you're fighting an enemy who plays by no rules, do you have to abandon your own moral code to vanquish him? This is the ethical dilemma that Batman faces in the movie. How do you kill a villain so vile and ruthless, without being so oneself? How do Batman and his two brave warriors wipe that menacing grin off the Joker's face? Catch the movie at a theatre near you to find out!

Cast: Christian Bale, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Heath Ledger, Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, Aaron Eckhart&others
Director: Christopher Nolan
Screenplay: Christopher Nolan&Jonathan Nolan
Story: David S. Goyer
Producers: Emma Thomas, Chuck Roven&Christopher Nolan
Cinematographer: Wally Pfister
Editor: Lee Smith