Based on a DC Comic created by Bob Kane

Story by Christopher Nolan and David S. Goyer

Screenplay by Jonathan Nolan and Christopher Nolan

Directed by Christopher Nolan

No Bats were harmed in the making of this movie.

The Dark Knight

I didn't expect much coming in to this film. I kind of thought "been there, done that" not just with "Batman", but with this entire wave of superhero movies. I doubted all the hype I'd heard about Heath Ledger and all the Oscar buzz for his performance. It just sounded like a Hollywood Press agent's way of trying to exploit his untimely death.

Instead, I was overwhelmed. I thought this was not just the best "Batman" movie of all the "Batman" movies, but it is easily the best movie I've seen in 2008. If only "Indiana Jones" had been this good.

Heath Ledger plays a really psychotic Joker, someone who might be at home in a movie like "Saw". His characterization is far more dark and genuinely threatening than any by Jack Nicholsen or yes, even Caesar Romero. He is a cruel genius...and not a little nuts.

Having a really good villian enables Christian Bale to be an even greater hero, and he comes through in a determined, though less flashy performance than Ledger. His Batman has a dark side and a temper that previous Batmen did not show.

  Aaron Eckhart gives a solid performance in the best developed of all the "Two-Face" Harvey Dent movie portrayals (which include Tommy Lee Jones, Billy Dee Williams and Richard Moll) as the "white knight" of Gotham, a crusading DA trying to get rid of organized crime. No, he's not the Joker, but he's really, really good. So is Morgan Freeman as Lucious Fox (So good here I'm willing to forgive him his taking his role in "Wanted"), Michael Caine as Alfred and Gary Oldman as Commissioner Gordon (there's a lot of to do in this film about the Joker kidnapping Gordon's son, but I was happy to see the movie did not forget Gordon also has a daughter, Barbara--played here by 7 year old Hannah Gunn--who will grow up to play a much larger part in the Batman saga and gives me an excuse to run this picture).

Speaking of foxy babes, Maggie Gyllenhall takes over from Mrs. Tom Cruise Katie Holmes as Rachel Dawes  and is charming, lovable smart and convincing. She also comes off as a real grownup, rather than a teenager doing a road version of a play. Holmes looked more than a little young for the part when she played the character in "Batman Begins".

The story is pretty basic stuff: Harvey Dent wants to clean up Gotham from crime, including crime boss Salvadore Maroni (Eric Roberts. Yes, THE Eric Roberts. Christopher Nolan ought to get an Oscar nomination just for getting a good performance out of Roberts). The crime lords get an offer from the Joker to get rid of the Batman for them and the game of Bat and mouse is on.

However, the script by the Nolan brothers is terrific and they milk all the tension, humor and character out of the situations as possible. There is an internet story about how the "Dark Knight" is really an allogory about the Bush years (a figurehated by the public forced to work outside the law to do what he knows is right to protect the innocent citizens) and I can see it if you look at it that way, but don't let that dissuade you Bush haters from seeing this fine film. While the other Batman films were more reflective of the comic book of the 1960's and '70's, this captures the darker tone of the more recent comics and the excellent Batman animated series.

The only problem I see is how do they possibily top this? I doubt anyone will want to step into Ledger's shoes after this fine (and yes, Oscar worthy) performance. After doing a villian like the Joker, you can't bring back someone like Catwoman or Penguin or Mr. Freeze. The obvious choice is the Riddler, but to make him work, he'll have to be turned into a Zodiac-like bad guy and making him psychotic as he needs to be to make it work will beg comparison to the Joker.

The other big problem might be Christian Bale, who we've seen apparently has quite the temper. He might start wondering "why is Ledger getting all this Oscar attention and not me? I am the star of the film?" and insist the next film give Batman more soliloquies or Oscar worthy songs.

But that's their problem, not mine. Or yours. And they've already made a zillion jillion dollars on this one, so don't worry about them. Go out and enjoy "The Dark Knight". I did.