The Dark Knight

Christopher Nolan steps back into the director's chair for this sequel to Batman Begins, which finds the titular superhero coming face to face with his greatest nemesis -- the dreaded Joker. Christian Bale returns to the role of Batman, Maggie Gyllenhaal takes over the role of Rachel Dawes (played ...more

In the opening sequence of The Dark Knight, Heath Ledger's Joker wickedly comments, "I believe what doesn't kill you simply makes you stranger." Ledger half-stutters with an eerie wheeze, and the succinct remark's implications are far-reaching. The Dark Knight explores that which drives individuals to disturbing ends, whether good or evil in intent. There's no doubt that this role was one of the most taxing of Ledger's unfortunately truncated career. With his passing, any comments about his ...more

The caped crusader gets a stunning dose of hardcore dramatics in The Dark Knight, director Christopher Nolan's ambitious follow-up to Batman Begins. Hailed as the first real big-screen adult take on a popular comic mythos, the film goes to great lengths to show that costumed characters can indeed exist in genres outside of their comfort zone -- which in this case, spells gritty crime drama. Nolan's Gotham City might be beautiful, but it's decaying from the inside out -- as are most of the people ...more