The Cape Crusader returns following his dangerous dust with the Sandman to face a more ominous foe in THE DARK KNIGHT. Batman’s terrorizing combatant this time is the Joker, a menacing bank thief who has more tricks up his sleeve, including mob manipulation, random killings and a plot to turn Gotham on its head. Christian Bale returns as both Bruce Wayne and Batman, and if you haven’t heard, the late Heath Ledger dons white face as the Joker. 
THE DARK KNIGHT is not your father’s Batman, and shouldn’t be your young son’s either. The film is a dark, unnerving and intense comic-book action film that wrestles with morally complex issues, and eerily mirrors the current state of our union. If BATMAN BEGINS was an intricate character study of a dark, but heroic man, THE DARK KNIGHT is an expertly weaved morality tale where the answers are just as complex as the questions posed. Director Christopher Nolan, an expert on dissecting personal conundrums, in addition to BATMAN BEGINS see INSOMNIA, THE PRESTIGE and MEMENTO, again ratchets up the drama with a surprisingly effective love triangle and supporting characters that assist in upping the emotional intensity. The tone and plot are particularly grim, but Nolan and his brother, co-scribe Jonathan Nolan, lace the film with several exhilarating action sequences that would curb any summer moviegoer’s appetite. Bale delivers another solid, yet distant performance, and Morgan Freeman and Michael Caine bring a sense of importance and levity to their moments, but THE DARK KNIGHT is really all about the Joker, and Heath Ledger lives up to all of the hype. Ledger’s Joker is disturbing, manic, and psychotic, delivering the ying to Batman’s yang. Each moment Ledger appears, a chilling and unsettling atmosphere washes over the brooding, and somewhat epic, superhero saga. THE DARK KNIGHT serves as a reminder that movies don’t need to be shackled by the confines of their genre, but can turn the tables on convention and deliver an exciting, emotionally rich fable that speaks to modern times, while also tackling timeless moral dilemmas.
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