The Dark Knight (2008)

US 152m, Colour
Director: Christopher Nolan; Cast: Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Heath Ledger, Gary Oldman, Aaron Eckhart, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Morgan Freeman

The Dark Knight is the brilliant second installment in Nolan’s reboot of the Batman franchise which began with Batman Begins (2005). Arguably the finest Batman film yet made, The Dark Knight sees Christian Bale return to the title role as an emotionally battered character, whose existence as the protector of Gotham City is threatened by increasingly difficult moral choices. The film’s excellent supporting cast is particularly noteworthy, not the least of which is the late Heath Ledger’s convincingly maniacal and critically acclaimed portrayal of the Joker. With The Dark Knight, Nolan sets a new standard for comic-book based movies, few of which can match the emotional complexity and depth of character, which easily transcend the often campy characterizations of previous realizations (Klaus Ming July 2011).