Movie Title: The Dark Knight
Director: Christopher Nolan
Writer: Jonathan Nolan, Christopher Nolan
Starring: Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Heath Ledger, Gary Oldman, Aaron Eckhart, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Morgan Freeman
Review: With the help of allies Lt. Jim Gordon (Gary Oldman) and DA Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart), Batman (Christian Bale) has been able to keep a tight lid on crime in Gotham City. But when a vile young criminal calling himself the Joker (Heath Ledger) suddenly throws the town into chaos, the caped Crusader begins to tread a fine line between heroism and vigilantism.
The Dark Knight, in my opinion, is the best superhero movie I have ever seen; and I've seen a lot of them. The 2nd installment in the famed Dark Knight Trilogy, which began with Batman Begins in 2005, has everything you could possibly want in a superhero film. You have a fantastic cast with a compelling hero, played masterfully by Christian Bale. But the real star of this film is the incredible portrayal of the Joker, done by the late Heath Ledger. Ledger, who won an Oscar in 2008 for Best Supporting Actor for this performance, unfortunately passed away before the release of this film. The way in which he portrayed the maniacal villain really made you feel like he had in essence, become the Joker. Ledger nailed everything from his voice, laugh, and mannerisms to become a truly terrifying, spectacular character. The writing here was also great as the story was compelling, unpredictable, and simply a joy to watch unfold. This movie is exhilarating entertainment at its finest, and a movie that should be watched and appreciated by everyone, whether you're a Batman fan or not. Great work all around, and an absolute classic!
Fun Fact: In preparation for his role as The Joker, Heath Ledger hid away in a motel room for about six weeks. During this extended stay of seclusion, Ledger delved deep into the psychology of the character. He devoted himself to developing The Joker's every tic, namely the voice and that sadistic-sounding laugh (for the voice, Ledger's goal was to create a tone that didn't echo the work Jack Nicholson did in his 1989 performance as the Joker). Ledger's interpretation of The Joker's appearance was primarily based on the chaotic, disheveled look of punk rocker Sid Vicious combined with the psychotic mannerisms of Malcolm McDowell's character, Alex De Large, from A Clockwork Orange (1971).