The Dark Knight
The second instalment in the rebooted Batman franchise, this time featuring Heath Ledger as The Joker in his Oscar winning performance. Batman (Christian Bale) sets out to destroy organised crime in Gotham for good, with the help of Lieutenant Jim Gordon (Gary Oldman) and District Attorney Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart).
The triumvirate proves to be effective, but they soon find themselves prey to a rising criminal mastermind known as the Joker - a psychotic criminal who thrusts Gotham into anarchy and forces the Dark Knight ever closer to crossing the fine line between hero and vigilante.
Morgan Freeman and Michael Caine return, and Maggie Gylenhaal replaces Katie Holmes in the love-interest role of Rachel Dawes. Directed again by Christopher Nolan (whose most recent film was the underrated The Prestige).
- Director:
- Christopher Nolan ('Batman Begins', 'Memento', 'The Prestige')
- Writer:
- Christopher NolanJonathan Nolan
- Cast:
- Christian BaleHeath LedgerMaggie GyllenhaalGary OldmanAaron EckhartMorgan FreemanMichael Caine
Reviews & comments
Variety
pressEnthralling...An ambitious, full-bodied crime epic of gratifying scope and moral complexity, this is seriously brainy pop entertainment that satisfies every expectation raised by its hit predecessor and then some.
Total Film
pressA dazzling, determined superhero classic and Ledger puts Nicholson in the shade. With Batman Begins Nolan set the bar; with TDK he's just raised it.
The New York Times
pressPitched at the divide between art and industry, poetry and entertainment, The Dark Knight goes darker and deeper than any Hollywood movie of its comic-book kind.
Roger Ebert
pressIron Man and even more so The Dark Knight move the genre into deeper waters. They realize, as some comic-book readers instinctively do, that these stories touch on deep fears, traumas, fantasies and hopes.
New Zealand Herald
pressIn an already legendary performance, the late Ledger is gloriously unhinged, giving you nothing to grasp on to character-wise, and all the more disturbing for it.
Los Angeles Times
pressTo see it is to understand that Nolan and his co-writer brother Jonathan saw a chance to go deeper into familiar characters and mythology, a chance to meditate on darker-than-usual themes that have implications for the way we live now.
Hollywood Reporter
pressBale again brilliantly personifies all the deep traumas and misgivings of Batman's alter ego, Bruce Wayne. A bit of Hamlet is in this Batman.
Empire Magazine
pressLedger's performance is monumental, but The Dark Knight lives up to it. Nolan cements his position as Hollywood's premier purveyor of blockbuster smarts – and the Batbike is kinda cool, too.
The Comic Book Movie Grows Up
Finally, a "comic book" movie that plys for grown-ups. Just as the graphic novel transcended the childish associations of comic books, so Nolan's Dark Knight takes the superhero genre and does what Frank Miller and Alan Moore did so long ago in printed form. Dark, moody, intelligent - yet it still delivers as an action movie. And yes the Joker...
Handy with the bombs I guess
Yes Heath Ledgers' performance was awesome and that just makes his death so much more tragic - what he should have gone onto. But is it just me or is everyone blinded by the Ledger glow - the movie plot fell apart half way through and from then on it simply became holy-difficult-choices-Batman the Joker has set up ANOTHER vast rig of explosives in the...
Hmm
When i seen The Dark Knight, i was a bit dissapointed to be completely honest, i think that it's down to the fact that they changed quite alot ot things. Im a fan of the old 90's cartoons, even they showed Batman alot better than The Dark Knight and Batman Begins. It was an alright movie but i have seen better.
Scariest yet
The Dark Knight is Batman as it should be. No jokes/gimmickry just dangerous storytelling that will scare anyone. Chases, explosions and very clear human drama fed this story well. Heath Ledger did an amazing job as the Joker and deserves all the credit as does everyone who had anything to do with this
Smiles All Round
Class. The action and stunt spectacles keep this one rolling throughout its extended length, and the movie is put together with that kind of precision which Christopher Nolan pulls off in every movie he makes. What made Batman Begins so good was its authenticity. The villain in the first movie had a lot of depth, and you could get to grips with why Liam...
Holy moly. This is wicked.
Variety
pressEnthralling...An ambitious, full-bodied crime epic of gratifying scope and moral complexity, this is seriously brainy pop entertainment that satisfies every expectation raised by its hit predecessor and then some.
Total Film
pressA dazzling, determined superhero classic and Ledger puts Nicholson in the shade. With Batman Begins Nolan set the bar; with TDK he's just raised it.
The New York Times
pressPitched at the divide between art and industry, poetry and entertainment, The Dark Knight goes darker and deeper than any Hollywood movie of its comic-book kind.
Roger Ebert
pressIron Man and even more so The Dark Knight move the genre into deeper waters. They realize, as some comic-book readers instinctively do, that these stories touch on deep fears, traumas, fantasies and hopes.
New Zealand Herald
pressIn an already legendary performance, the late Ledger is gloriously unhinged, giving you nothing to grasp on to character-wise, and all the more disturbing for it.
Los Angeles Times
pressTo see it is to understand that Nolan and his co-writer brother Jonathan saw a chance to go deeper into familiar characters and mythology, a chance to meditate on darker-than-usual themes that have implications for the way we live now.
Hollywood Reporter
pressBale again brilliantly personifies all the deep traumas and misgivings of Batman's alter ego, Bruce Wayne. A bit of Hamlet is in this Batman.
Empire Magazine
pressLedger's performance is monumental, but The Dark Knight lives up to it. Nolan cements his position as Hollywood's premier purveyor of blockbuster smarts – and the Batbike is kinda cool, too.
The Comic Book Movie Grows Up
Finally, a "comic book" movie that plys for grown-ups. Just as the graphic novel transcended the childish associations of comic books, so Nolan's Dark Knight takes the superhero genre and does what Frank Miller and Alan Moore did so long ago in printed form. Dark, moody, intelligent - yet it still delivers as an action movie. And yes the Joker...
Handy with the bombs I guess
Yes Heath Ledgers' performance was awesome and that just makes his death so much more tragic - what he should have gone onto. But is it just me or is everyone blinded by the Ledger glow - the movie plot fell apart half way through and from then on it simply became holy-difficult-choices-Batman the Joker has set up ANOTHER vast rig of explosives in the...
Hmm
When i seen The Dark Knight, i was a bit dissapointed to be completely honest, i think that it's down to the fact that they changed quite alot ot things. Im a fan of the old 90's cartoons, even they showed Batman alot better than The Dark Knight and Batman Begins. It was an alright movie but i have seen better.
Scariest yet
The Dark Knight is Batman as it should be. No jokes/gimmickry just dangerous storytelling that will scare anyone. Chases, explosions and very clear human drama fed this story well. Heath Ledger did an amazing job as the Joker and deserves all the credit as does everyone who had anything to do with this
Smiles All Round
Class. The action and stunt spectacles keep this one rolling throughout its extended length, and the movie is put together with that kind of precision which Christopher Nolan pulls off in every movie he makes. What made Batman Begins so good was its authenticity. The villain in the first movie had a lot of depth, and you could get to grips with why...
Holy moly. This is wicked.
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