The Dark Knight ★★★★★

Released: 21st July 2008 (UK)

Director: Christopher Nolan

Stars: Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Gary Oldman

Christopher Nolan took over the Batman series with a great weight of expectation on his shoulders, his previous films Memento and Insomnia were both extremely well received by the public and critics alike.

So was he the right man to take over the franchise that is Batman? Having enjoyed mixed success, with films like Batman and Robin being grilled while Tim Burton’s efforts ‘Batman’ and ‘Batman Returns’ being reasonably popular. Nolan’s first attempt ‘Batman Begins’ was an inspiring, new darker look at Batman and raised voices for him to continue with a sequel. It is this sequel – ‘Batman: The Dark Knight that has proved the hero’s finest hour.

The Dark Knight sees Christian Bale return as Batman, the alter-ego of billionaire business man Bruce Wayne. The city he resides in has been faced with a new villain, The Joker, played by Heath Ledger, who plans to cause anarchy within the streets of Gotham City. Batman with the help of District Attorney, Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart) and friend LT. James Gordon (Gary Oldman) set out on capturing the Joker and bringing peace to the streets of Gotham. As The Joker’s string of crimes and sadistic madness in his methods, it leads to a more personal attack on Batman and Dent, causing each to question who the real hero is.

This movie had an extraordinary run when released, ‘the highest grossing Superhero movie ever’ says it all really. But why was it so popular, the darkness in which the film is shot creates a nervous atmosphere that in true cliché form keeps you on the edge of your seat. The unforgettable characters fantastically portrayed plus fantastic cameos from Michael Caine as Alfred the Butler and Morgan Freeman as Bruce Wayne’s technology expert Lucius Fox breathed a newer energy into the series that had faded before Nolan’s takeover.

The performance of the late Heath Ledger, has been cited as his best and earned him a posthumous, Best Supporting Actor Oscar, It was these kind of performances which made the film shine. Which, considering the series has enjoyed using actors such as Jack Nicholson, George Clooney and Jim Carrey shows just how impressive The Dark Knight is.

On top of the acting are the fantastic scenes throughout the movie, the opening bank robbery scene, seemingly taking inspiration from Michael Mann film, Heat, is brilliant and left us frothing at the mouth for what was to come…

More special effects and the eventual inclusion of Two-Face maintain the explosive start throughout The Dark Knight.

The beautifully dark cinematography and creative storyline really do create not just the best Batman film but also one of the best hero/villain movies ever made.

If like The Joker, you dream of a world without Batman, then you clearly need to sit down and watch The Dark Knight.