The Dark Knight (2008)

Score: 9/10

It’s creepy, it’s depressing, it’s mind boggling. It sounds negative, but don’t get me wrong. This is a great movie and those feelings are what you will get after watching it. The performance of most of the casts is excellent, especially for Heath Ledger as the Joker. Every time you hear laughter, you can expect a slaughter. This is one of the best performances of Heath Ledger, if not the best.

On the other hand, I don’t think Maggie Gyllenhaal is suitable for Rachel Dawes. Although her performance is decent and I feel that she manages to portray Katie Holmes as the same character from the prequel quite successfully, I just feel that she is not the right cast. Perhaps she lacks the grace and charm that should be present for her character.

In overall, this sequel manages to hold the intensity of the prequel. It even has a bigger scope with crazy plots, crazy acts, deceptions, actions, and questions of morality. This movie plunges into deeper darkness from the beginning to the end. It neatly plays with your emotions and if you expect to have a cheerful night by watching the movie, you will not get it. You also need to keep your concentration, otherwise you will miss the plots that are full of intrigue. In fact, you will find that all major characters in the movie, including Batman, Joker, Two-Face, James Gordon, Rachel Dawes, and even the all-wise and all-nice butler, Alfred, have an intrigue of some sorts.

While the major focus is the Joker, in the end it shifts briefly to another villain, the Two-Face. The Two-Face himself is the result of the Joker brilliance in playing with human’s emotions. Both villains are successfully spread the darkness throughout the movie. They even manage to play with Batman’s emotion so he sometimes also flirts with the dark side.

In some cases, I feel that it is too easy for the Joker to create havoc. It is unexplainable how he can create all those plots successfully. On the other hand, perhaps a crazy demonic clown can indeed do whatever he pleases.

For further information on this movie, you can visit these links:
- IMDB: The Dark Knight.
- The Dark Knight Official Movie Site.

"Let me widen your smile"