Movie Review: The Dark Knight

I saw The Dark Knight last Saturday so all aspects of it are not fresh enough in my mind to give it a full review. But it is so damn good I had to say something about it.

All of the reviews you have heard praising this movie are absolutely earned. This isn't just a great comic book movie, this is one of the best crime dramas of the past 10 years. Christian Bale overacts a bit in the Batman role but absolutely nails Bruce Wayne in every scene. Maggie Gyllenhall is so much better an actress than Katie Holmes it is laughable and she does a much better job with Rachel Dawes. Gary Oldman and Aaron Eckhart are always great and were again fantastic in this one. And you can always count on Morgan Freeman and Michael Caine being great so it's a real treat to see these guys both in the same movie (still waiting for them to share significant scenes though).

As for Heath Ledger, it's easy for a cynic to think that all the hype around his performance as the demented Joker is due to his recent death. It's not. He's the one who puts this movie over the top. He is absolutely unbelievable in this role and there is no way in hell I could ever picture anyone else doing it in future installments of this series. He was absolutely terrifying in some scenes and completely inhabited the character he portrayed. I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if he gets an Oscar nod for his role.

There are a few moments that could have been cut from the nearly 2.5 hours but it is a very small quibble for a movie that has a legitimate shot at a Best Picture nomination.

Rating 9.5/10