The Dark Knight (2008)

Director: Christopher Nolan
Story: Christopher Nolan
Cast: Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Michael Caine, Gary Oldman, Aaron Eckhart
Music: Hans Zimmer, James Newton Howard
Time: 152 minutes
Bottom-line: By far, the best superhero film I have seen

  What happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object? That’s what The Dark Knight is all about. Chris Nolan brings out his second installment in the Batman film trilogy, and this is the best superhero film I have seen. In my opinion, this is one of the few superhero films to make into the ‘favorite movie lists’ of many film lovers. This is also one of the few films where the villain is loved more than the hero, thanks to tons of catchy dialogues, and terrific acting by Heath Ledger.

Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne/ Batman

In the second Batman film, Gotham city is threatened by a new villain: the Joker (Ledger). Bruce Wayne (Bale) and Lt. Gordon (Oldman) decide to make Harvey Dent (Eckhart) part of their team to eradicate the Joker and the mob. The Joker announces that he will kill a person everyday unless the Batman reveals his identity. So, Dent decides to protect the other members of the city by naming himself as Batman. Eventually, the Joker is arrested, but his men have already taken Dent and his girlfriend, Rachel (Maggie Gyllenhaal) as hostages at two different locations. By the time Batman and Gordon go to rescue both of them, Rachel dies in an explosion and half of Dent face is burnt by another explosion. Meanwhile, The Joker also escapes from the police.
 Dent becomes violent after this incident, planning to kill everyone responsible for Rachel’s death, including Gordon and the Batman. With the Joker having already destroyed his spirit, and with Dent also turning against him, what does Batman do to protect Gotham city? With Dent turning murderous, what happens to his image, the man who was so inspirational to the people of Gotham?

Heath Ledger as The Joker

Gary Oldman as Commissioner James Gordon

The amount of work Ledger put in to play Joker: living alone in a hotel room for a month so that he could carefully practice the posture, stance and voice of the Joker, has paid off (source Wikipedia). His terrific acting leads the film: after all, a good hero is formed only when there is a good villain. Ledger plays an anti-social psychopath very well. He has modified his voice very well.

Nolan has made the film better than most other superhero films mainly because of the way he has shown the Joker: a villain who doesn’t give a damn about the world around him, but who is bent on destroying everything, just for fun. As Alfred says, “Some men just want to watch the world burn.” This makes him different from other villains, who want to destroy the hero just to gain popularity or to establish control over the people (like Bane, in the next Batman film). Nolan has also created a touch of ambiguity at the end, but the next Batman film, which came four years later, ties up everything.

Eckhart as Dent

Other positive aspects include the action sequences, which have been shot well. Nolan has added a lot of catchy dialogues, especially for the Joker. Ledger, as I said before, has acted in a great manner. Eckhart has also acted very well. The special effects have played an important role, especially the effects used to show Dent’s face after it gets burnt. But, other than Ledger and Eckhart, none of the others have acted well.


To conclude, The Dark Knight is a great film by Christopher Nolan, perhaps the most realistic film about a ‘superhero’. Excellent acting, great dialogues and memorable characters make this a must-watch for all Batman fans, as well any movie lover. By the time you reach the end of the film, you will want to watch it again, either for the entertainment it gives, or just to watch Ledger as the Joker.

My Rating: 4.5/5
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 94%